A reflection

To be a writer or creator, we need to have a reasonable degree of self-esteem. It is necessary to believe in oneself. To believe in what we have to say. To be convinced that what we say is more than noise to fill the ether.

Otherwise, why write? How do we press publish? How do we conjure the courage to tell our stories? The stories that are important to us.

If we have no self-esteem, how can we consider our story important enough for us so to feel it deserves to be said? How can we tell it beyond receiving validation or the lack of it?

By writing and the acts of creation, we reclaim our story and, through words, regain the right to craft our future, our essence, the atemporal part of us beyond what others tell us we are.

Pablo Pereyra 2024. Thank you for reading.

Self-Esteem and Writing was originally published in Self-Crafted on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Product Placement

It’s a rare occasion, one engaged in out of due respect,
to put money on the wealthy church plate.
Born out of childhood influence,
born out of control important to you.

The trouble is, that coin placed on my lap
as you would a six year old child,
does not sit well on the lap of a matured man
who now feels devalued, an elder brother to the deflated coin.

I place it in the space between us, chiding you
for your insolence, suppressing frustration I’d rather not,
in a place I’d rather not, while your face turns red
at the audacity of this child who’s grown too big for their boots.

The same child who just weeks previously
had tried to make porridge their own quirky way; with water!
It did not end well, with a red face and excuses.
This time, there were no excuses with that coin between us.

James G Brennan 2022

Thank you, Lee Ameka for giving my words a platform. 🙏🙏

Thank you all for reading and your precious time. Always. J. 🙏☘💎💥🙏

The Coin Between Us was originally published in Self-Crafted on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.