Author Student Mother Teacher
Let's talk about what last week cost me Two kitchen hooks that were holding up the aprons I never use, but I wanted them because that's what good moms own and wear. A bunch of bananas, a loaf of bread, two bunches of broccoli, one pound of carrots, one bag of baby carrots, and half… Continue reading The Invisible Costs of Living with Mental Illness
2 Years. 2 Years ago, everything changed. 2 Years ago, my world shifted on its axis, blasted out of orbit by the death of my father. We knew it was coming. All the signs were there. Mentally, I think he'd been kinda gone for a few weeks. Possibly since the hospital trip in February (2… Continue reading Happy Birth Death Day, Dad!
Today, I got high and refused to come down. And why should I? Have you seen the world? You probably haven't. Honestly, it's so confusing. I understand why you wouldn't want to. If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me take a moment to share my thoughts. Every morning, after not getting enough… Continue reading Now that’s what I call a dystopia!
I can't watch the news because I don't honestly understand what's going on in the world around me. I can't scroll Facebook or Instagram or Reddit because I don't honestly understand what's going on in the digital world around me. Airplanes are falling from the skies and crashing but my news feed says air travel… Continue reading Is the world on fire?
*****TRIGGER WARNING - The following is a conversation about grief, loss, the death of an unborn child, etc. It could be traumatic for readers. Proceed with caution. ***** Lots of things are heavy on my mind these days. These things keep me from moving forward. They keep me from making decisions. They keep me from… Continue reading We Need to Talk…About Donovan: A Reflection on Grief
Sometimes I live in a weird place of denial, a place where my granddaughter's autism is "high-functioning" and not a problem at all. I tell myself that it's not a problem that I have had another human, sometimes two or three humans and several pets, physically touching me all day and I will be fine… Continue reading What is Autism? A Caregiver’s Perspective
The television plays Cooking shows on repeat, You didn’t like them But they bring me comfort. The cell phone stands ready Facebook, E-mail, games Anything to distract me, To keep from feeling. The laptop, always open A story to write, homework to do Simulation games that I can control Things where I get to say… Continue reading Drowning Out the Noise
This short story won the January 2024 Photo Prompt Contest with the Center for Creative Writing. The story is a mixture of true story and fiction and I am so pleased that it was chosen as a winner. It took a lot of emotional investment for me to create this piece and I hope you… Continue reading Saying Goodbye
Lately, and by lately I mean the last three years, I've quit reading hard books. What, you may be asking yourself, is a HARD book? No, not a hardcover. No, not a high-intelligence book. A hard book. The kind where someone dies. Or a child is hurt. Or people experience high levels of trauma (like… Continue reading Why I Quit Reading Hard Books
How can the world keep turning When I can't feel anything anymore? The absence of you is everywhere, Even though you are long gone. I can't understand why And I know that it's not fair. You should be here And I should be there. Without you, the world is empty. Without you, the world is… Continue reading The World Keeps Turning
Cathy Marie Bown 