SaMya Overall
Bio
Fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction writer with a love for cliche tropes reimagined in a new way.
For more works: https://www.minialternaterealities.com
Stories (8/0)
Diversify or Darken your campus, what's the difference?
Someone famous and important and most likely white once said, 'A crowd is the main place you can simultaneously be surrounded by people and yet, feel utterly alone.' I hate using quotes to spread a point, but sometimes another person's words are just better than your own and you have a less likely chance of sticking your foot in your mouth in front of your peers. By no means am I a master communicator either, so quotes are the way to go. As a black, low-income student at my predominantly white university, feeling alone in a large crowd is one of the struggles we have to deal with in our educational system.
By SaMya Overall 3 years ago in The Swamp
I Can't Breathe
Content Warning: Includes descriptive accounts of police brutality, like our world does today. My reflection stared back at me, my brown eyes cold and empty. I tilted my head, observing my reflection, trying to understand what they saw. What made me different? What made him different? My questions were vague, my tongue not wanting to use the words they described us with. Threat. Thug. Delinquent. Other. Where did they see it? I glanced down at the red liquid on my palms and the waist area of my white dress. It was hard to refer to it as blood. Blood meant death. Death meant mourning. Mourning would turn into anger and right now, I just wanted to be blank. There would be time for anger and mourning.
By SaMya Overall 3 years ago in The Swamp
The Heart of Christmas, Unborn
The white lights on the Christmas tree glow dimly in the otherwise dark living room. The red and gold bulbs reflect the light into diamond-shaped beams, piercing through the gold garlin wrapped loosely on the fir's branches. I sit quietly, listening as the heater turns on, gushing warm air through the vents in the cooled space. I snuggle into my blanket and sigh, just listening. Sometimes, the quiet can be equally as frightening as inviting.
By SaMya Overall 3 years ago in Families
The Simple Cost of Connection
Watching a highway on a rainy night was one of the most peaceful activities. Cars rolled by, sometimes in groups and other times in solidarity, creating V-shaped tread marks in the deep, murky brown puddles that settle underneath the overpass. Most of the drivers ignored me, let me be, let me just watch. They are always there, day or night, speeding to their next locations or settling in for a long journey. I doubt that normal girls watch passing cars in their free time, but I haven't been in school for over a year, so I couldn't be sure either way. I knew my mother needed me more than my judgey teachers and classmates did. So I quit. I didn’t regret it, but I missed having someone, anyone around.
By SaMya Overall 3 years ago in Humans
Yes, anxiety and depression exist in POC communities
A common lesson I was taught by my parents during my childhood is that you won't know if you don't ask. Can I go over a friend's house to spend a night? I won't know unless I ask (but let's be real, the answer 98% of the time was no). As I aged into adulthood, that simple lesson was slowly forgotten until I realized that I still needed to ask questions to get a better understanding of aspects of life that affected me, including my mental health.
By SaMya Overall 3 years ago in Psyche
