I am Shards in my Eyes
Izumi R.
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This poetry collection represents how external factors contribute to the feeling of losing one’s identity; thus, the sequence of the poems mirrors the phases of entering, enduring, and escaping an identity crisis. I’m half Japanese, and when I used to visit Japan, I was unaware that I only half blended in with the people around me. However, when I returned to Japan last summer, I became self-conscious of the non-Japanese aspects of my appearance and demeanor for the first time. “100% In Japan; 50% Japanese” depicts this questioning of half my identity. I’ve noticed that whenever I’m uncertain about my present self, I seek comfort in the past—the backbone idea of “Caterpillars.” Finally, “The Definition I Can Cling By” introduces a new identity crisis of feeling out of place as a writer in a STEM-dominated area, and closes the identity crisis through the reaffirmation of my chosen identity.
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Creativity is a freedom. It is what lets an empty, untitled Google Doc feel boundless. It is what allows me to see the world in a way that is only possible through my eyes.
