top of page

            The first song I wrote for him was shyly presented in a tiny room in the back of his apartment. He sat silently and watched me strum on my guitar, listening to each timid note. I was nervous of course, communicating my feelings to him in such an explicit way. I was eager and vulnerable all at once. What would he think of my words? For previous crushes as a young girl, I may have jotted something cutesy down in a diary or scribbled hearts on a piece of paper during class. But these writings were alway secret, always shelved away, never to be seen by eyes other than mine. They were feelings only to be felt by me. So as I sat there holding my guitar, barely whispering my lyrics, I was surprised to see his eyes reflect back the emotion I was professing. I could tell he felt what I did.

            My song writing took place back home in my own apartment, a small one bedroom with too much outside noise and not enough sunlight. I had written it all alone, surrounded with feelings only experienced by me. But unlike my childhood self, writing secret hearts and poems and showing them to no one, this piece was specially designed to be communicated to another's eyes. 

            Sharing is something we are taught to do from the time we are able to talk. Sharing our food, sharing our toys, but meals and trinkets are easier to share than the things we think and feel. I had shared many pieces of my writing before but this piece was so much more genuine than anything I had written in the past. So when I began this course knowing I would have to be sharing my writing with many others, I wondered if I would be able to recreate the same authenticity I had voiced through that first song. 

           To make communication through writing possible, you have to take your feelings and divide them up, evaluate them and present them concisely to another, somehow hoping this person is able to grasp everything that you felt. This is no simple task, but the first project in our class, repurposing an argument, really helped to hammer this home. For the first time I had to concentrate on the why. For other classes we are given an assignment and expected to satisfy the requirements. But now I was selecting the assignments, setting up my own personal requirements. Through peer mentorship and careful instruction I uncovered a long buried fervor. I regained authenticity over my writing, writing to communicate what feels real and passionate to me. 

         The nervousness is still there. It's easy to fall into a pattern of writing to obtain points instead of to communicate a feeling, too scared to share what I really think. But I know how much can be gained from opening yourself up. Writing is for conveying inner emotions, whether by expressing adventure though a short story, sharing an opinion through an analytical essay, or sharing your love for someone else through a song. And if you're lucky enough, maybe that inner emotion will be mutual. 

Unhide Your Eyes

bottom of page