#10: The power of 20 words

"I indulge myself in a book because diving headfirst into another fantasy is so much more peaceful than living in this reality." - Mackenzie Campbell, 2 A.M. Thoughts.

2 A.M. is a vulnerable hour. At peak exhaustion, anything someone may have been trying to hold in can simply spill out. This makes Campbell's poetry book something of a masterpiece - whether it be a love letter or a catharsis. "3:59 A.M." makes it clear Campbell must have been struggling with living. In a poem of just one sentence, the power emitted through Campbell's words is poignant. 

And as for the poem itself...

Opening a book and flipping through pages is something of a drug. I clearly remember novels that have kept me reading for hours on end - not dropping the book in my hands for anything except the last word. I'd then feel terrible reading the last word; my tongue is always wanting to taste more of the story. A blink and a rub of my eyes transport me back to my room, where everything is dismal once again - not that I have a depressing life (touchwood), but being immersed in the words on a page is the only key for me to exit reality for a stretch of time. 

X-raying this even more...

Before high school, I never read. I could never focus on someone else's story while trying to live mine, basically. It wasn't until COVID, that I began to read fervently. Book after book, I became addicted. Whether it be mystery or romance (I know you're judging me Deepti 🙁), I couldn't stop. I never understood this - why now, of all times, did I find my love for reading? Maybe it is simply because I wanted to leave the ever-so-dull atmosphere of high school. With expectations of me increasing, I was subconsciously overwhelmed. Reading compensated for that.

Anyways...

The fact that about 20 words were able to perform a complete psychoanalysis on me proves the power of 2 A.M. thoughts.