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Functional Fixedness MAG

June 13, 2014
By Anonymous

My mother,
Bless her heart,
Has told me since I could pick up a pen:
“Do not write on yourself”
Or not
To write on my walls, because
“It doesn’t look good”
But I think that’s what they call
Functional fixedness,
And I think I’d much rather my daughter
Treat her skin as paper
To write on
Than paper to cut up and crumple and rip,
Because trust me,
When it’s the middle of July
And all you want is to wear a bikini with your friends,
The scars on your arms
And legs
Don’t look too pretty
Either.

© Anonymous

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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 17 comments.

dont.cry.little.girl. SILVER said...
on Jul. 5 2016 at 6:01 pm
dont.cry.little.girl. SILVER, Ooltewah, Tennessee
7 articles 0 photos 45 comments
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Hello! I and a friend of mine create spoken word and poetry videos. Because we love it so much, we were wondering if we could use your writing in one. Of course, we always credit the original author. We just wanted to ask beforehand.
Nelly_Nell GOLD said...
on Sep. 22 2015 at 9:48 pm
Nelly_Nell GOLD, Bakersfield, California
11 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
&#039;&#039; For every dark night there is an even brighter day&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> -Tupac Shukar

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I love this so much. I love the words you used to this and the message that is sent i think a lot of people can relate to this.
LittleRedDeliriousPrince SILVER said...
on Sep. 21 2015 at 10:53 am
LittleRedDeliriousPrince SILVER, Parma Heights, Ohio
7 articles 0 photos 100 comments
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Amazing. Loved it. :)
futurista12 ELITE said...
on Sep. 1 2015 at 12:06 pm
futurista12 ELITE, Far Rockaway, New York
615 articles 1 photo 114 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;And though she be but little, she is fierce.&quot;- Shakespeare

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This is really amazing. I loved it.
KayeIsWriting SILVER said...
on Sep. 1 2015 at 8:33 am
KayeIsWriting SILVER, Oxford, Alabama
9 articles 0 photos 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!&quot; - Franklin Roosevelt

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I Love this! It's amazing.
Jade.I.Am ELITE said...
on Jul. 7 2014 at 10:48 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
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Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

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that means a lot to me, thank you so much :)
JRaye PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 6 2014 at 9:58 pm
JRaye PLATINUM, Dorr, Michigan
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Oh my goodness... Do you realize how many people on this site can relate?? :) AMAZING
Mckay ELITE said...
on Jul. 4 2014 at 1:15 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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Happened to me too. Either wayz, awesome poem. ^j^
Jade.I.Am ELITE said...
on Jun. 30 2014 at 5:23 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

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thanks, i'm glad you like it :)
Jade.I.Am ELITE said...
on Jun. 30 2014 at 5:23 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

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Thank you! I appreciate it :)
Olivia-Atlet ELITE said...
on Jun. 30 2014 at 2:00 pm
Olivia-Atlet ELITE, Dardenne Prairie, Missouri
325 articles 10 photos 1165 comments

Favorite Quote:
"To these the past hath its phantoms,<br /> More real than solid earth;<br /> And to these death does not mean decay,<br /> But only another birth" <br /> - Isabella Banks

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This is such a good poem it deserves to be in the magazine!! XD
lydia.w GOLD said...
on Jun. 29 2014 at 3:51 pm
lydia.w GOLD, Myerstown, Pennsylvania
11 articles 7 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
I was always an unusual girl.<br /> My mother told me I had a chameleon soul, no moral compass pointing due north, no fixed personality; just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean...<br /> And if I said I didn&#039;t plan for it to turn out this way I&#039;d be lying...<br /> Because I was born to be the other woman.<br /> Who belonged to no one, who belonged to everyone.<br /> Who had nothing, who wanted everything, with a fire for every experience and an obsession for freedom that terrified me to the point that I couldn&#039;t even talk about it, and pushed me to a nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me.

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I love the connection that you made with just writing on yourself and cutting paper. i really like this poem!
Jade.I.Am ELITE said...
on Jun. 26 2014 at 6:24 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

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AHHHHSGSHJSSK. Figures that it got published!! I accidentally hit anonymous, I guess. Couldn't figure out why it wasn't showing up on my page. For everyone who might reading: Jade.I.Am is my username.
Jade.I.Am ELITE said...
on Jun. 26 2014 at 3:33 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

View profile
I think that romanticizing self harm is dangerous, and that is why I do not advocate it. I'd much rather prevent it than perpetuate it, and find beauty in recovery instead.
Jade.I.Am ELITE said...
on Jun. 26 2014 at 3:32 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

View profile
What do you mean?
TargonTheDragon GOLD said...
on Jun. 25 2014 at 4:24 pm
TargonTheDragon GOLD, Ofallon, Missouri
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Favorite Quote:
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some guys, (such as myself) think that scars are beautiful, especially if we know the struggle from which they were born. better than the picture perfect, dime-a-dozen beauties that some girls think they should try look like.
Mckay ELITE said...
on Jun. 24 2014 at 1:51 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

View profile
I have a feeling I might know who wrote this poem only because of the place in which you live: I have a friend here who lives in the same place. However if I'm wrong, it doesn't stop the fact that this poem is simply a five out of five for me. I love the simple language and unabashed sincerity at the end.