Rachel Margaret

Fall

Four thousand, three hundred eighty-three steps of curling wildflowers and cracking leaves. This is the distance I walked one afternoon from middle school to my childhood home. Before reaching my room, drops of sunlight and rain were snatched by an overarching canopy of trees. They now hover, holding secrets which have melted down into dampContinue reading “Fall”

BIRDS

He said “remind me to teach you a chickadee call” breast white tipped plum plump fingertip here hold your hand steady they swoop down to call grateful and ready

Knocking

Through golden hourglass I watch a determinedflickering fumbling bumble beethen attempt a self-soothing mumble“be here now”and note the tension swelling I till nails into summer’s bookend evethe same fingers that dig into marriageand baby’s thighsand natural family planninguntil fragile limbs fling ‘round my neckas the smallest little bird starts pulling I think how God mustContinue reading “Knocking”

A SWAN IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING: My Review of “The Deep End”

Across the globe, black swans have been used metaphorically to connote various meanings in folklore, often reflecting unique cultural differences. They have been symbolic in representing high levels of personal power, expressing rarity, representing hidden evils, hiding true identities, and engendering surprise. In 2001, Nassim Nicholas Taleb developed The Black Swan Theory. Taleb’s theory canContinue reading “A SWAN IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING: My Review of “The Deep End””

How I Survived My Elementary School Shooting

Wait! Can you hear it? The collective pounding of hearts beating above tiny little ribcages? I can feel mine in my toes and in my belly. I feel as though mashed potatoes are lodged in my throat and suddenly can’t seem to swallow. I hear muffled movement. My scrunchy holding the end of a looseContinue reading “How I Survived My Elementary School Shooting”

Unjudge Yourself

There I was, sitting in a small room on the top floor of an old brick structure in the valley of quintessential Keene – a small town sharing lakes that usher travelers from Vermont into the state of New Hampshire. Connected to an old mill along the Ashuelot River, this section was originally built inContinue reading “Unjudge Yourself”

FAWN

TRAUMA has become a buzzword seemingly tossed around as it trends current psychopathology. This is because since the 90’s we’ve been able to complete more in-depth research around neuropsychology and the ways in which both our brains and bodies respond to traumatic events. Trauma responses have historically been categorized between “Fight” or “Flight.” However, inContinue reading “FAWN”

LIELACS

Lately, on Tuesdays, I start the morning with an early drive along the Chagrin River, winding through county lines before arriving at a small café hidden from typical Chagrin Falls traffic. Before grabbing an espresso beverage, my sister and I chat on the phone interim her two jobs in North Carolina. I then settle intoContinue reading “LIELACS”

Stable(s)

I had been startled awake one morning by the masculine echoes of my friend chanting from the upstairs where he sits in a pillow nest as tones lift from folded rugs toward the ceiling. He was engaged in his morning ritual of Kundalini. Kundalini is a meditative practice in which verbal tones externalize as energyContinue reading “Stable(s)”

‘Tis the Season to be Poly

I’ve been lately collecting arguments; conflicting opinions on why, what, and how to engage in relationships in which socially constructed concepts for intimacy and sex go unmatched (“Non-monogamy” “Polyamory” “Open”). Polyamory happens to be a topic I’ve come against especially after entering the world of couples therapy. Friends have tried it, friends have wanted toContinue reading “‘Tis the Season to be Poly”