May 23, 2022

On shame

Don't draw attention to it.

The weight of it; the ugly heaviness. Stay still, quiet, small.

This is the only safe thing to do with shame. Because then, nobody will notice it.

(And so it multiplies, silently.)

For example: I am ashamed - made shameful - that I call myself a writer without publishing very often. So I stay quiet. And the idea of writing gets even harder.

The alternative: get safe enough to feel unsafe.

Do draw attention to shame. Hold it up to the light. Watch it diminish.

Move. Make noise. Take up space.

Write.