Alibied by Ink: A Poem on Persona and Silence Inspired by Carl Jung's Theories

Alibied by Ink- Image created by Marilyn Glover with Canva Design

I’ve been with my pen all this time
writing things I can never say–
Conversation.
Utterance.
Speaking.
Saying thoughts aloud
feels like a misdeed.

I won’t commit this crime:
a violation of my space.
Might it be
if I were to talk,
Convey my mind?

Orate is an ornament others use,
decorating communication
with vowels, consonants,
stressed, non-stressed
syllables sounding
Ideal.
Appropriate.
Inspirational.

My voice chokes up–
Suffocated by fear.
Impostor syndrome.
Cat snags my tongue,
preventing me from conversing.

Gift of gab evades me,
but ink saves me. Jot it down, I do,

because writing feels innocent
and chatter endures
Conviction.
Sentencing.

Alibied by Ink is the first poem in my debut Jungian-themed chapbook, Shadow's Reprieve, and is featured in Part One: The Persona. Written based on personal experience, this poem is a reflection of the many moments when speaking aloud felt like a crime. So many thoughts in my head wanted to be released, yet the action of verbalization fell short. Writing it all down felt innocent. Felt safe. Orating these penned moments, however, met with societal pushback, eye-rolling scrutiny, and disapproval. Oh, how many times in my life I felt sentenced to silence simply to appease the world.

My debut poetry chapbook is now available for $5.99 via multiple digital retailers on Draft2Digital.

This week, the physical copy went live for $9.99 exclusively on Lulu's boutique-style bookstore front.