Payge Gray

Grief

More often than not when we hear the word grief, we assume someone’s talking about death. Less commonly to we refer to all of the bits of life that we have to mourn as we outgrow them by the same name. Our tendency to rename those moments, whether it be having to say goodbye toContinue reading “Grief”

The Way it Looked to Me – Part Four

I often find myself telling my hardest moments as if they were stories. If I fill in enough of the details, if I paint a vivid enough picture that I can make you actually think you were there – maybe I can paint myself out of it too, disown the thoughts involved. Does it stillContinue reading “The Way it Looked to Me – Part Four”

Poetry Series – What’s Happening?

I find myself looking around at the artists in the world in awe, asking myself how they can so freely share what they’re thinking, experiencing, and feeling. How do they feel when they consider that the person they wrote a song about is going to see it? Does everyone try to hide a portrait theyContinue reading “Poetry Series – What’s Happening?”

Knowing

As you hang just a little bit too long onto what feels like the biggest decision of your life, just take a moment to sit back and let all of the thoughts leave your mind. It sounds counterproductive, right? But look, it’s taken you this long and you still haven’t grown the balls to callContinue reading “Knowing”

The Way it Looked to Me – Part Three

Not all of my most impactful, most vivid moments have been bright and shining. I love, love so it primarily becomes my focus, but what love story comes without obstacles to overcome? Those moments where shit hits the fan and everything falls apart are equally as important to the success of a story as theContinue reading “The Way it Looked to Me – Part Three”

Poetry Series – Men

I feel like an asshole admitting it but I absolutely used to chuckle any time a man told me he was a feminist and then started passionately going on about women’s rights and equality. I just found it so peculiar to pour so much into an issue that I was sure couldn’t be hitting asContinue reading “Poetry Series – Men”

Ask

For someone that’s terrible at picking up on subtle hints, I certainly love to give subtle hints and cryptic messages. Funnily enough, this is always the example I think of when I hear people say that those around us are just a reflection of ourselves. What we find triggering in them is only so becauseContinue reading “Ask”

The Way It Looked To Me – Part Two

Time and time again I trace my unwillingness to share my perspective back to a fear of judgment. No matter how often I’m shown it’s okay, part of me always holds on to this worry that highlighting the parts of people and moments I love the most will somehow scare people away. The thing aboutContinue reading “The Way It Looked To Me – Part Two”

Poetry Series – Crazy

I get self-conscious over the fact that most of my best stories involve falling in love, as if it’s something to be ashamed of that love is the greatest thing I have to offer. For so many reasons, I am absolutely positive that it is by far the greatest thing that someone can offer. IContinue reading “Poetry Series – Crazy”

Want

Do you think that if a person hears the phrase “we don’t always get what we want” enough times in their life, they start believing their wants are irrelevant in the way the world works? I’m considering the possibility that that exact scenario is what contributes to why when someone turns to me and asksContinue reading “Want”