Hi <3 the sun is setting on another year, and it’s been an okay one for me. I bought my first (and second) car, made a lot of new friends, founded my own literary magazine/writing collective, was published (twice!) in other literary magazines, and took my first creative writing class. I experienced minimal heartbreak and only two or three major anxiety episodes, so overall less crazy than I have been in the past. I took one puff of weed after nearly a decade of abstinence (still not for me). Things are alright. I’m excited for 30, but more on that next month. For now, here are my cryptic and portentous mini poems for 2025, soon to rise in the East.
In:
audacity, being ugly, zip-up hoodies, writing retreats, computer skills, local radio, dream interpretation, credit unions, abjection, androgyny, medievalism, arguing in the comments, insects and bugs, delegation, reaching out, fantasy, surprises, tarot, threads, shirley jackson, cedar, age gaps, lying to self mythologize, acts of service, salt, email, soldering, beer, poetry that pisses you off in a good way, seashells, resonance
Out:
repressed caucasian conflict intolerance, obsession with thinness, the phrase “pick me,” rich people teeth, twitter, alice munro, rumination, food delivery apps, passive aggressive unfollowing, jokes about “existential dread,” the amazon death machine, harvest music festival, 3D printing, scrolling, talk shows, neo-trad, notifications, edginess, insincere feedback, martinis, etsy, circuits, algorithms, interrupting
Notes: I’m not going to elaborate much on these lists because I like the romance of declaring that cedar is in without explanation. Also a lot of them are self-explanatory. I could write a dissertation on why I hate the phrase “pick me,” but I suspect if I talk about it I’ll just be called a pick me even more vehemently.
Hoping to finally put out mini essays on shirley jackson and intermezzo someday soon. Good luck over the holidays, everyone—it’s a tough time, so try to balance family obligations with seeing your friends and celebrating how you actually want.
Shan