Hands Off

For this one, I’m adding a note here first for some context. I recently read an article about Trump suggesting “menstrual classes” for US women to help increase birth rates in America. Because you know…none of us seem to know how our bodies work. ๐Ÿ™„ The article was a little bit too Handsmaids Tale-ish to me, and so ludicrous that I simultaneously wanted to laugh and cry. The disgusting desire to control women’s health is just so disrespectful and alienating. I also can’t believe that it’s even happening to begin with. The ignorance and corruption. And at any rate, it also pissed me off, and so, of course, I wrote something in response to it. I wrote several stanzas, to be honest, but in the end, I only needed one.

The article, if you’re curious:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/us/politics/trump-birthrate-proposals.html?smid=nytcore-android-share


I am thirty-six years old
I know what I need
I dont need a billionaire white man
telling me how to bleed

monday feels

Monday feels

like a dying sun

like hope that fades

when the day is done



Monday feels

like an icy breeze

you’ve lost your gloves

and you’re gonna freeze



Monday feels

like drowning tears

your face is wet

you’ve aged a million years



Monday feels

like a melting crayon

you drag your feet

you say, “i think i can”


Agh, these were the Monday vibes I was totes feeling yesterday.

AJM

it girl

saying yes instead of no

i’ve become the “it girl,” yeah

no longer a disappointment


Hope you are well. I’m struggling with some kind of sickness…again!! ๐Ÿ˜ญ It’s been difficult lately.

Just got to keep writing!

AJM

New poetry book “Remnants” to be published December 2025!

This is a new project I’ve been working on. Spring is almost here and I’m feeling hopeful. To be published on Amazon in December 2025!

A little bit about the project…

This is a collection of new material from the last few years exploring the ‘what’s been left behind’ from my college years, who I am now and the joys and struggles of being an adult. There are themes of feminism, mental health, self-doubt…and some silly poems about the weather, of course.

I’m very excited with how this is coming together!

Not final cover. TBD!

There will be more posts about this project later on in the next few months.

In case you missed it, my other poetry book, Walking in Cemeteries, can be found on Amazon here.

the new, new colossus

Give me your tired, your poor...

Oh, wait. I mean

Give me your old, entitled, white men, your billionaire businessmen, yearning for more money

They are the wretched refuse on our teeming shore

Send thee, only straight, white males, no persons of color, females, or transgender

The room has grown dark, and we’ve closed the door


๐Ÿ˜’๐Ÿ˜’ 

AJM

Thoughts on AI and Writing

Our dog Teddy pretending to work, AKA, stealing my spot on the couch.

I’ve started a new fiction writing project recently, and every time I get into Microsoft Word to write, copilot chimes in and asks me if I want assistance.

I click out of it furiously, feeling almost insulted and hurt. Why would I want assistance with my own creative project?!

And then a few hours ago, while working on a letter at work, I wrote in Microsoft copilot for assistance. Yes, please help me write these generic phrases into new words.

I’m probably late in the game for this conversation, but I guess I’m curious to see what you, my fellow creatives, feel about AI?

I have such a love/hate relationship with it. I get entertained when AI writes in the voice of Shakespeare, and then on the opposite: I feel so attacked as a creative writer that a computer can do what I choose and love to do in two secs or less.

I remember reading an article a while back where an author actually ran an experiment with readers where they were given an AI generated story and one written by someone. In the end, they found that the story written by an actual person was the more popular choice. Maybe it had something to do with AI being too general and using phrasing that didn’t fit with the overall narrative… I don’t quite remember the why.

But in an age where technology dominates and everyone is desperate to get ahead… especially financially, I can’t get rid of this fear that I’ve missed my chance to let my voice be heard.

Am I too late to be a published author? Or will AI-generated material get published, too, and ruin my chances? I need to do more reading on this.

I am interested to know your thoughts!


Sorry, I’m a bit late posting this week, and I missed last week, too. I am recovering from a nasty cold. I hope you are all well!

AJM

the last time

no one told me
that when you get older
those friends you saw everyday
won’t be around as much
those girl shopping days
nights out at the bar, dancin’
or slumber parties
don’t happen as often

because we’ve got families
and adult responsibilities
and making plans
is like getting the planets to align

and one one told me
that one night
you’ll watch a video
about two friends
and it’ll bring back a sudden ache
for those carefree nights
where a drink at a bar and a DD
were the only things we were worried about

and no one told me
that you’ll miss your friends
like a promise you can’t keep
like a cloud that blew across the sun
a hollow longing
that hollars down an empty road

and that one day
we got together for a slumber party
wished on stars together
and told secrets
for the last time

when democracy dies

when things get rough

when i feel trapped

by my responsibilities

i look up at the night sky

and think

…at least i’m still free


๐Ÿฅบ Our future here in the US is so uncertain. I’m scared of what our future looks like. No, I’m terrified. I’m so glad I get to watch the world burn around me because of someone I didn’t vote for. ๐Ÿ™„

AJM