_edited_.png)
By Kimberly Nguyen
Posted on September 1, 2023
Cover Image Title: The Stranger
Cover Image by Jocelyn Vasquez Camey
Classification: Watercolor and Pen
Specifications: 9 x 12 inches
Year: 2023
As a writer,
My biggest inspiration is people
People who have their lights
In a sea of windows of darkness
I wonder about the tapestry of your life
When your lights are off
Are you still up?
Are you looking out at the world?
And what do you see?
If I look, would I see a new picture?
When you leave home,
I wonder how much of home I can see on your clothes
If that somehow indicates how you feel about
Your culture
Your secrets
There is a story in all of us
But the finest tales are rarely spoken
Valuable stories are told
In the soles of your hands
The material of your clothes
They unfold in necklaces you wear
We’re all storytellers
And so I start writing
Description:
This piece is about how it is for me as a writer to find my inspiration. My poems are often about others - their identities, nature, and so on - tiny strangers on the street that I observe from my high-up hotel window when I’m traveling, or familiar faces of everyday life. Being observant allows space for me to enjoy the story of others, a constant flow that doesn’t only start when you do. With my love for writing, I am able to incorporate their stories into other arts of life. This poem is inspired by my supervisor telling a story about storytelling.
[ * The End * ]
[Writing Editor: Shubhay Mishra]