MEANING'S LABYRINTH

By David M. White, PhD

It is not the words or deeds of others that bring

Woe and suffering upon our troubled mind,

But rather it is the meaning we assign,

The interpretation we make, that does entwine

Our thoughts and emotions in a knot of pain.

Unseen, unconscious assumptions hold sway,

And color all our experiences with their dye,

Shaping our perceptions, and guiding our way,

In themes that whisper sweet or bitter truths to us,

Such as: “My worth, a fragile thing, depends

Upon the praise or censure of other people’s hands.”

Or thus: “My happiness, a leaf on winds of chance,

Does blow, and flutter, at the whims of others’ glance.”

Or darkest of all: “My feelings, monstrous and awry,

Do make me vile, and worthy of nothing but sighs.”

And lastly: “My deepest needs, and innermost desires,

Do threaten to sunder ties that bind me to the fires

Of love and kinship, that do make life worth living.”

Thus, unaware, we weave our own tapestry,

And manufacture our experience, as if by sorcery.

ABOUT DAVID: David M. White, PhD is a Los Angeles–based poet, composer, and clinical psychologist with 35 years of practice. His work explores the ways perception, meaning, and emotional life shape the human experience, often weaving themes of self‑discovery, personal growth, and the human condition.

I CRIED TODAY

By Shaundra Graves

I cried today because before I could even put the vacuum away something got spilt on the floor. 

I cried today because as soon as I straightened up the living room the dogs come in the house muddy jumping on everything.

I cried today because even though I spent over an hour doing dishes by hand yesterday the sink is full again. 

I cried today because my kitchen is piled full of things that have nowhere else to go so it never looks clean. 

I cried today because every time I clean a surface and make it look neat the very next day it's covered in a new mess.

I cried today because it's almost 4pm and I don't know what's for dinner. 

I cried today because I can't manage to get caught up on laundry no matter how hard I try.

I cried today because no matter how many times I ask nicely no one listens to me.

I cried because I wanted to do something special with my daughter today but got stuck at home cleaning instead.

I cried today because I need "down days" after having active or social days.

I cried today because people assume that because I have a hard time leaving the house that I like being alone all the time.

I cried today because no matter how much I beat myself up with guilt or try to push harder there just isn't anymore to give. 

I cried today because I'm insecure in every possible way.

I cried today because I needed my mom.

I cried today because I needed to cry.

I cried today because I just couldn't stop.

I cried today because I felt defeated.

I cried today, it wasn't the first time and it won't be the last. I cried today because I'm human ... Yes I admit I cried today and then I wiped my own face, Dried my own tears, and went on about my day because time doesn't stop for no one and the world doesn't care who cried today or why.

ABOUT SHAUNDRA: "I am a 35 year old stay-at-home mom. I have ADHD, C-ptsd, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, MDD Borderline Personality, Mild Agoraphobia and a form of insomnia called non 24 sleep disorder (it's a lot I know!). I have been writing most of my life but I stopped for a long time, and just recently decided to start writing again. My poems have seemed to centered themselves around my struggles with mental health and I hope that by sharing my words I can help someone else find words for their own struggles."