What books tell me after I read them

I’m not a major book worm, but I love to read books that make me think about the blurry things in life that we all come across. I love readings that make me question my own perspective, develop my thoughts and open up a window into the minds of those dead in the past. Applying knowledge from what I understand to be the case in the present and knowing the importance of these findings from the forewarnings that site, from all these novels, plays and essays, is what I naturally do; what change did the author try to forge at the time when society was stuck in the mud and their destiny seemed to be set in stone?

Being a forward and backwards thinker has a paradoxical effect; it mentally leads me to traps, dead ends, muddy waters and often rabbit holes that dig too deep that cause me trouble. At the same time however, thinking about concepts, theories and understanding contextual factors is liberating, as it helps me resolve my own troubles and allows me to unlearn prejudices and personal anxieties about my life and others. Understanding writers and the message they tried to convey to their audiences is tying a mental shoe lace, where there are loops, knots and then a not so perfect personalised bow. People take away different meanings and resolutions, and perhaps are just there for the experience, as they navigate the swirl of universal or abstract ideas in a boat ride.

For me, I read and write against the tides. The tides can be psychological and physical. They are the forces beyond my control that sometimes lead to powerful waves of both epiphanies about my life or others’, and also lend solidarity from the author while stuck in the storm. I write poetry to sway with the turbulence and write essays to not only reduce a flooding boat, but to act as a lighthouse for those sailing through psychological and physical disarray.

If you find my message-in-a-bottle while sailing through whatever storm, grab your pen to paddle against the tides of tribulation using my thoughts as maps and compasses of literature.