Work samples

  • On a Plane, 3 Parts

    This is a true story. Usually when I take a psychedelic, I write about my experience after the fact but with this one, I’m pretty sure I wrote the whole thing on the plane during the acid trip. Observing, eavesdropping, and furtively scribbling every thought down in my notebook. I was flying from San Jose back to Baltimore to visit my family for Christmas and had a layover in Houston. I remember I was too anxious to try to smuggle an acid tab past airport security so I took it during my Uber ride to the airport, hoping it would kick in right as I boarded the flight, and lo and behold, it did. 

    I want to take a moment to apologize to my parents, who I know will read this. I don’t actually think your marriage has no loving spark, I know how much you care for each other and I now see that love and partnership is a lot more nuanced than I perceived at age 20-24(?) when I wrote this. 

  • Babinda Boulders, Two Parts

    This is another true story. I took magic mushrooms at Babinda Boulders, a public recreation area in northern Queensland. The Indigenous Yidinji people called the area Bunna Binda, meaning "water over your shoulder.” It’s a gorgeous natural formation that, in my opinion, has been slightly sullied by the amount of chainlink safety infrastructure that has been erected around it. During this period of my spiritual journey, I was emerging out of my victimhood mindset and coming to the realization that the universe was never “against me,” rather it is me and is with me at all times. Ever since I wrote this, every time I see a plant on one side of a pathway bending toward the other side, I always look to the other side to find its mirrored bending counterpart. I think of this as my way of communicating with the universe, and its assurance that it’s always with me. 

Share:

Facebook Twitter Share

About Helena

Baltimore County  

Hello!

Jump to a project:

Divine Feminine

  • Last Night I was Mary Magdalene

    This is a true story that took place one evening by the river in Mullumbimby, NSW, Australia. 

    In Christianity, Mary Magdalene has been portrayed as a devout follower of Jesus and was misidentified as a prostitute by a pope in 591AD, he conflated her with a "sinful woman" described in Luke's gospel. In Gnostic texts, she is depicted as Jesus' confidante who received more in depth esoteric knowledge from him than his other disciples did. She played an important role as a transmitter of esoteric knowledge and embodied the divine feminine archetype, which of course challenged the patriarchal structure of Christianity. 

    I believe this new age is the resurrection of the divine feminine energy. I am doing my best to unearth information on previously undervalued women in history, to tap into witchcraft and learn from Indigenous peoples, and to continue developing my own power and confidence. 
  • The Feminine Mystique

    I had read part of “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan, admittedly not the whole thing because it was quite long, and decided that I did not care what people thought of me anymore. I do not care if people think my art, opinions, or ideas are eccentric or strange or “concerning.” Everything in this world is made up anyway. 
  • The Earth is a Jewel in a Goddess's Pocket

    A cowboy friend of mine spoke of a cafe/bookstore in Woodburn, NSW, Australia called Hemlocks. He used to work there and said the locals would come in to commune with each other and philosophize with the baristas. I’m in the interest of taking on any side quest these days so I made the trek down to Hemlocks. I ended up chatting with a Woodburn local named Darin who had lost his home to the floods. He told me of the town’s experience with fires, covid, and flooding in that order. I told him that where I was living in California experienced that same string of hardships during the same time. We talked for 2 hours or so and he ended up inviting me to a poetry gathering at his friend’s house.

    • Ruminations on God

    • 24HR Convenience

      I had the day off work so I decided to visit my favorite cemetery in Santa Cruz, Evergreen Cemetery, with the intention of doing some writing. I noticed a homeless person’s tent set up in the northernmost part of the cemetery. All was silent for an hour or so, but then I heard a man’s voice coming from the tent, he was yelling “Day one! Call the police, it's only day one! Day one! Day one!” He kept repeating “Day one” over and over and I thought, I need to incorporate this into my poem. 
    • God Is...

      I saw a bee drowning in the river right in front of me.
    • Alright Already

      A note for clarity: dowsing rods which are most widely used in the practice of locating underground water, can also be used as tools for contacting spirits. One can use them to communicate with spirits by holding rods in both hands and asking yes or no questions. The rods will turn inwards toward each other or outwards away from each other to answer the seeker’s questions.