#DriversDilemma (A Short Love Letter to Literature)

in #poetry8 years ago (edited)



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This is a re-post of a feature post I wrote several months ago. Since it's Thursday here, I wanted to post a throwback so that this post can be found on my blog, and for the benefit of those who haven't seen it or are new to the community.

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I don't like driving – no, scratch that – I hate driving. However, I do appreciate its importance. I was a big Twitter user back then, mainly because of its ease of use. In hopes of alleviating my anxiety, I took to Twitter one faithful drive, some time ago, to articulate my thoughts. I tweeted every time there was traffic, a stop during my drive or whenever my car wasn't in motion.

Technology has opened up a wide array of possibilities for self-expression, so I capitalized on that by writing micropoems of 140 characters or less. I had hope to write a sequential series of tweets, but little did I know that I would be able to finish an entire story. This series of micropoetries contain all my emotions that I was feeling at the moment of writing. I didn't have time to think about what I was going to tweet, so let's just say it all came from the heart. There was no pre-meditation, nor was there any adjustments in between tweets. I wrote these as I felt them. I do understand that tweeting while driving is reckless and dangerous, I apologize and I promise to never do it in the future.


Literature, along with Art, is one of the purest expressions one could make. I believe that creativity and inspiration can be found anywhere, and that all art is innately beautiful. Words are beautiful by themselves, but once you put them together and inject some emotion, it's pure magic.

I originally submitted this as an entry to a national literary competition, because I just want to get it out there, but I never heard back. At first it was disheartening, but I realized that it's no one's place to judge. Sure, this didn't get the national recognition I had hoped, but I poured out my emotions for this and I didn't want it to be cast to oblivion. While I don't use Twitter anymore, I unearthed this piece because I just wanted to share this flash fiction I had on Steemit.

So, without further ado, I bare my soul to you, dear reader:

 


 
10:33am


Life is peaceful, until I hit the ignition.
Thrust into battle, I begin with my mission.

 


 
10:41am


Dread envelops me every time I take the wheel.
I feel so constricted by how liberating it feels.

 


 
10:52am


The roads invented transportation so that they could be of use.
They give us everything we need except the power to choose.

 


 
11:01am


If only the sky was the normal means of travel,
then the roar of engines wouldn't cause our emotions to unravel.

 


 
11:07am


The roads are cruel beasts but we depend on their existence.
Every time we try to rid of it, we give in to its insistence.

 


 
11:15am


Traffic is a battle where no one really survives.
We pour our souls to the road, then it gives us back our lives.

 


 
11:47am


Hell is the other driver, that's what I believe.
Alas, the real enemy is the road, do not be deceived.

 


 
11:57am


Jaywalkers litter the road, thinking this is all just a game.
If they get injured or worse, they have the drivers to blame.

 


 
12:00pm


The roads are the death of us even if it gives us life.
I delight at its sight, then I want to gouge my eye out with a knife.

 


 
12:02pm


Arriving at the destination is all too bittersweet.
I look back at the road – flat and remorseless – unable to accept its defeat.

 


Here are some of the positive comments that the original post received during its initial run:

I hope you enjoyed reading as well, and are encouraged enough to leave your comments. For more original writing, thoughtful comments and moral support, be sure to follow me @jedau :D

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Hey brother!

It just goes to show we don't need to write an essay to extract emotionally powerful sentiments from words. Fantastically written and beautifully realised poetry. Very relatable subject matter too. Looking forward to a lot more from you in future posts!

Great stuff, bro!

Thanks for the kind words, brother. I really appreciate it! Oh, if only the judges of the national writing competition I submitted it to felt the same way. In retrospect, it doesn't matter. As long as at least one other person enjoyed it, then I'm all good :D

I'm cooking something up for NaNoWriMo and would most likely be posting it in the coming months. As it is, I'm not confident about its earning potential, and I really want it to do well because I'm giving the earnings as charity. I'm not at the same level as you yet in terms of following, but hopefully I'll get there someday.

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