Self-Affirmations (Poetic Edition)

Before I do anything

I stand up

Walk to the mirror

And ask myself,


“Would the action I’m about to complete lead me to being diagnosed with female hysteria

in the early 19th century?”


If the answer is yes,

Which it typically is

I walk away 

Giving myself the reminder


I am the daughter of a witch that a man could not burn.


Joely Ford

Joely Ford is a Freshman at Cumberland University who writes poetry, plays, and novels. She is an English major and has been writing stories since she was 8 years old.

NOVUS Literary and Arts Journal
Lebanon, TN