A Real Creative

photo by arantxa villa

A Real Creative

second year claire d’agostino 

they told me, “do what you love and love what you do, and then you will never despair.”

so i told them that reading and writing filled me with joy; only then they would stop and stare 

“but don't you want to be a doctor or lawyer and change the world?”

do words not change the world? 

where is the value in creativity?

when i ask, my mind is clouded with negativity

the pressure of society grips me in a chokehold

for every attempt i make to put words on a page i feel that i am wearing a blindfold

to reunite with your inner child is the first step in embracing originality 

yet what if that child was taught that making mistakes was detrimental to her mentality?

her voice became a little smaller every time they determined she was a fake

perhaps, her grasp on who she was grew too tight – for it began to break

education stripped me of my identity

“to dream of being a writer is an obscenity!”

i understand their Fear – creativity is Uncertainty 

do you fear the power of my words? 

is creativity not a healing force?

my wounds fill with the words that return me to the divine source

i am rebuilt and fortified everytime my pen meets page

my life will not be spent hiding backstage 

trauma slowly mended by an outpour of expression

i regain my experiences as they are put on page – they become my own possession 

through strands of words put together, my understanding of others grows into a song

does art have any purpose, if not to make others feel that they belong? 

i refuse to believe that society is the place where creativity lies down to die

for creative minds are warriors – we will not go out without a battle cry

will you fight for the right to write?