As someone who is shy, writing has always been a way for me to express and communicate my thoughts and feelings. When spoken words fail me, there are written words. I like the seeming tangibleness of words written down. Because one can read them, they are there to be analyzed, enjoyed, looked over as many times as one wants. When forgotten, they can be found.

When my grandma passed away, I found comfort in writing. The confusing swirl of emotions going on inside me could be controlled by choosing words that conveyed my feelings. Putting them together to create phrases, poems and short stories made sense of what I was not able to say aloud. One of these poems is "Stained Glass Hearts."

Stained glass hearts

Different colors, different emotions

Pretty to look at,

But breakable at a touch

The many colors of our stained glass hearts