By Rose U., TIWP Student “That’s not gender roles, that’s just sexism.” A friend of mine said while out at lunch. Shockingly, however, this was in reference to a comment he’d made himself. Even more shocking, he had no remorse. Or is it shocking? It’s hard to tell, everything seems so normalized. Sorry, I shouldn’t […]
the girl who was afraid of everyone else & the girl who was afraid of me
By Zara Q., TIWP Student I think I think that I understand people.That I can meet them, sit in the same class for a few months,talk a few times.And then I get them, for the most part.I know why they do the things they do, say what they say.The people who puzzle me shock me and […]
Full Yet Starving
By Laily, TIWP Student I am full of society carving its expectations into my skin,yet starving for the freedom to exist in my own body. I am full of every day feeling like a raceyet starving to let go of the “doing” andlearn how to just be. I am full of reading every room, absorbing […]
Silence
By Harper Ripsteen, TIWP Student Silence is always lurking. Lurking behind footsteps, conversations, and the voices in our heads. Lurking behind the barking of a dog, a timer going off, or your next-door neighbors annoyingly loud construction work. We can’t control the noises around us, so can true silence ever be achieved? Are we as […]
Helium
By Katelyn H., TIWP Student “You are my breath, the air that keeps me alive…” — ENHYPHEN The crowd’s voices swallowed mine instantly. Thousands of light sticks glowed around me, an ocean of white and orange stretching farther than I could see. The bass rattled through the floor and up my legs. The air felt charged, […]
What Reminds Me I Am Living
By Lina Norris-Raman, TIWP Student LoveElivens.Something stirs in me,The way your wordsBrush my cheekAnd wrap me in a heavy blanket that tugs awaymy self-doubt.These remarkstell me I am living,That I deserve something,For the simple fact that I exist.They remind me that the worldDoesn’t view meThrough my own cracked mirror—That maybe the worldCould be more truthful […]
Busy
By Katelyn H., TIWP Student Our society constantly encourages people to stay busy. There is always another assignment, another notification, or another goal to chase. Productivity is treated like proof of worth, and slowing down is often seen as laziness. Many people fill every moment of silence with entertainment or social media because stopping creates […]
Control
By O. Deng, TIWP Student Control is an unspoken rule. It might go to the person with the loudest voice in the room, the one with the most connections or the one that’s the best at their craft. The people who can’t fight it must quietly bend to the people who have it. And the […]
Bloodstained Crystals (An Excerpt)
By Avery Corey, TIWP Student The massive chandelier of the Monte-Carlo Casino dangled in the center of the ballroom, the almond-shaped diamonds dripped with light, spreading throughout every tile of the marble floor like broken glass. Soft music drifted throughout the ballroom, slow enough to make every waltz look rehearsed. Beneath their masks, the richest […]
The Cloud
By Avery Corey, TIWP Student It’s an unseen mountain growing on your shoulders, grain by grain,until even breathing feels like lifting stone.The pressure stacks, threatening to crush me under its weight. It is impossible to break free,clinging like a shadow welded to my heels,following even when the sun is gone.what if one can or will no longer stand […]
The Intuitive Voice 