They Built Walls to Keep Me Out / Fragile / Breathe the Water
Sepp V.
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Writing contests always receive submissions centered around cultural identity. I envy that. I’m mixed race: a half-person to each culture, never accepted as a true member by either. As a kid, I didn’t really form friendships. Later, I struggled to understand girlhood’s intricacies. In the first poem, each direction is an identity I missed: childhood, European and Asian cultures, and gender. But unbeholden to any identity, I could become myself. Contrarily, the second poem describes our deepest kinship: fear. Somebody detonated fireworks during lunch, but it was mistaken for gunfire. Everyone ran en masse. I only felt vulnerable after the adrenaline blur lifted. I want to remember that feeling. The third poem is a dream I often have. In my dreams, I can always breathe underwater. It’s not real, but it’s my refuge: the water is warm and deep; the world is welcoming and filled with possibilities. There is hope.
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Creativity is an impossible dream and an innate part of humanity. It’s the hope that no matter the situation, there is always the possibility of change. Creativity is about concept, not execution. No one person is more creative than another. Creativity is something for us to unite over, not compete.
