Guest Post: Embracing the Uncomfortable

by Maeva Wunn

A big hug, a warm turtleneck, a hot cup of coffee…

Do those things make you smile or cringe? Is a hug just a hug or is it something else? Does the tight circle of fabric around your neck give you comfort or panic? Is that cup of coffee hot enough to burn or strong enough to wake you for a fight?

Free AssociationWhy does a kitchen towel become a gaga guitar stringa garrotea cracked glassa thousand knivesa quilta shrouda curtainto drown out the noisea lightswitchto hide the crimea doorknobanother way ina lockmeant for pickinga housea home

Perception is unique to every individual, and all our relationships with reality are different. As a fan of horror, I find myself drawn to things that make my skin crawl or my stomach clench. I know that my eyes see the world through a distorting lens that would fit right into a giallo film. For me, creating and consuming horror brings the rest of the world more in line with what I experience and helps me to process things in a healthier way.

Picture MakingI wield the scissors,cutting images of fake memoryto comfort me,snipping life details,trimming landscapes to revealthe shadows in a snowy field,the darkness in a waterfall,shaping things to fit the framesI’ve made over the years,filling them one by onewith safe thingsthat only hintat the life and times behind them.ReconstructionAs you waste away, joints failing, muscle and bone losing cohesion,let your memory lose mortar and glue,let the blocks fall into a more pleasing pile,and I’ll rebuild your little homewith stories that would make you proud—never mind my nameor that you forgot your own,the year, the city, the presidentare trivial—with a snap of my fingers you’ll awake—a new you made in my image.

I know most people don’t share that experience. A dark window is just a window, a hammer is a carpentry tool, a stranger on the street is just someone in the middle of their own story. So, what’s the benefit of consuming this media if you’re not inclined to the darker things in life? The answer is growth. Empathy is in short supply, and always has been really, so taking a look through someone else’s eyes can give you understanding that your personal experiences can’t. Reading a poem or watching a film that makes you question things can open up new lines of thought, make you question long held beliefs, maybe even change the way you live your life.

Sacrifice in the Big CityFolded alone into the corner curveof the couch, television sprayingcolored light on the ceiling and wallsin the evening gloom, in the backgroundghost voices drift in from next doorand feet padding on carpet up aboveremind me of the sounds I miss,the space next to me an empty achereserved for the ideal, not the real.The wicker man is free tonight,capering through the darkened streets,legs creaking as they jig, armsright angles open toward the sky,as the steel downtown twistsinto the form of a burning man,broken and crumbling in a mad rushtoward disintegration, carryingblood sacrifices to meet their godswhile their screams feed the peopleleft alive, bringing the city backto life and staving off ruinfor another year or twountil the blood runs outand the horror is washed awayand we sink back into the pitof apathy.The face is right but the eyes are wrong,the deep electrical puzzlefalling into place in a new pattern,erasing the memoriesand the looks that used to fiton that face,failing me for the last timebefore I give upand walk away.

Most humans gravitate toward things that make them feel safe. Comfort zones are just that – metaphorical places we can let down our guard and rest. They’re vital for our wellbeing. But it’s also vital to leave them now and again. Use the muscles before they atrophy. Let the discomfort lead to strength.

Last Wish of the DissociatedI don't know how to relate -you slice your handI pull out a ribyou stare and stammerI burn to ash.Let me turn to powderand sift with windunjudged unburdenedat last.About the Author

Maeva Wunn is a bisexual, non-binary, neurodivergent poet, crafter, history buff, and music enthusiast living with chronic illnesses. They have been writing poetry since childhood. They spent most of their life in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to the Midwest after meeting their spouse. They currently reside in Iowa with their spouse and cats.

Find them and their work on Chill Subs, in the anthology Reel Dark, in All My Relations, Vol. 5, and publications by Lupercalia Press, the winnow, Trouble Maker Fire Starter, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, The Hellebore, en*gendered, Masque and Spectacle, and others. They were nominated for Best of the Net 2022 by Spoonie Press for their poem “Digging.”

They can be found on social media at:

Kofi: maevawunn

Instagram: maevawunn

Twitter: MaevaWunn

The post Guest Post: Embracing the Uncomfortable appeared first on L. Andrew Cooper's Horrific Scribblings.