You, Man, Emotion

A collection of 22 short stories & long-form poems on the human experience

Who are the people you see when you walk down the street? Who are your colleagues at work? Your childhood friends? Everyone you know? Everyone you don't? Who are you? And what does it mean to be human?

Being human isn't easy. People are often misunderstood. Not due to misinterpretation, but due to a lack of understanding. We are all human, and we are all the same - mostly. Everything you feel, other people feel, too. All of your struggles are shared by others. So why suffer alone? Why not help each other, as a species, and come together to create a better world?

You, Man, Emotion is an emotionally-charged collection of short stories and long-form poems centered around these ideas. By addressing topics such as individuality, humanity, society, and human emotions, this collection opens a door into the world of other people.

Specifically, You, Man, Emotion draws attention to the struggles people face in today's world. From isolation to lack of purpose and direction, each included piece serves as a mechanism for self-reflection and understanding - both of yourself and others.

A better life begins with other people. A better life creates a better world. And a better world begins with you. But without understanding, there can be no change.

Select Excerpts:

"...All I heard was laughter. Great bellowing, creaking laughter and the rustling of leaves from every direction. What few trees I originally saw were now standing tall and outstretched - same as all the trees I didn't see before. I was surrounded by the creatures. All watching me, taking joy in my endeavor. The sight filled me with terror. I quickly descended into the tunnel, if only to get away..."

- My Beautiful World

"My home is there, up in the stars. How my heart yearns for the night that I might look to the sky. That somewhere there, so very far away, is a place that I call mine - the home I long to stay.

But I've been cast aside. I've long been forgotten. My people left me here, they didn't leave me a choice. They said they'd return, but they never did. Now I'm just an alien, trying to fit in..."

- Home Above, Home Below

"...Do I go back to school I already finished? Do I find a job and become the one who doesn't care? There are good schools, but I'm not interested. There are good jobs, but I'm not qualified. Perhaps I need a house, to plant my roots and make me grow. But then what do I become? If I succumb to the shade? If I am but a shadow, what is a shadow in the dark?

I felt a loss of hope. I wondered how I got here. Because I had a life. But I was not alive. Are the others all living when they go about their day? What about their smiling faces while they're making their way? They must be alive. I decided to ask..."

- A Shadow in the Dark

"I see it in your eyes. It's in the way you dress. The way you move. The way you speak. It's in everything you do. It's in everything about you. It is everything about you. And everybody else.

I know what you are feeling. Because I felt the same. I know what you are doing. Because I did the same. But you wouldn't know. Nor would I. I can't really know. Nor can you. And this, I know, because I was the same..."

- Knowing Humans

"...I dream of you and what you're like. I dream I knew what life was like. I dream of oceans that are blue. I dream of light that reaches through. And I am me, with you there. Gazing down at our reflection. The person we have made, there, me and you.

But nothing is to last, for the sun always rises. It shines its darkness vast, throwing shadow to memory. All that remains is a broken face in the mirror. The sun shines its light on my twisted demure. I see myself, and I can take it no more..."

- Dea