unencumbered now
i cherish this time with you
safety, peace and calm
Tag: personality
The Masks We Wear
the external mask
it is a comfort to shield
when off, more guarded
Self-Portrait
we try to make a good impression
but the presentation is a show
for who we really are
lies in how we see ourselves
Who Am I
descriptors label
we’re complicated humans
i am all these things
Wonderful prompt, Reena! Thanks for always hosting interesting ones for us! I did dig deeper and Googled the word as I’d never heard of it. Fascinating info…
AI Overview
An otrovert is a newly defined personality type, coined by psychiatrist Rami Kaminski, for individuals who are well-adjusted and friendly but consistently feel like outsiders, resisting absorption into groups or collectives. Unlike introverts who turn inward, or extroverts who turn outward, otroverts “turn elsewhere,” prioritizing independence and clarity while maintaining empathy and connection on a deep, individual level rather than in large groups. They are comfortable with their non-belonging, preferring one-on-one interactions over group settings and often finding their unique perspective a source of strength.
Key Characteristics of an Otrovert:
- Resists Group Identity: Otroverts question abstract group ideas and don’t feel a deep connection to ideologies, religions, or other large-scale affiliations.
- Prefers Individual Connections: They enjoy deep, one-on-one friendships and prefer individual activities over group ones.
- Observational and Independent: They are often observers who remain grounded in their own values, rather than conforming to group norms.
- Friendly but Not Merged: While empathetic and capable of engaging with groups, they never fully dissolve into the collective, maintaining their emotional autonomy.
- A “Foul Weather Friend”: They are reliable and deep friends who help others without expectation of reciprocity.
How Otroverts Differ from Other Types:
- vs. Introvert: Introverts are energized by solitude, but otroverts are not necessarily alone; they simply don’t thrive in group settings.
- vs. Extrovert: Extroverts gain energy from being around people, while otroverts are comfortable standing apart from the crowd.
- vs. Ambivert/Omnivert: These terms describe a person’s ability to balance introverted and extroverted tendencies. Theotrovert focuses on the deliberate nature of non-belonging and the preference for individual connection.
“Otrovert” and the Concept of Otherness:
The term “otrovert” is derived from the Spanish word “otro” (other). The concept emphasizes the strength in being an outsider and highlights that feeling like an outsider is not a flaw but a distinct personality trait that can lead to unique creativity and insights.
Candice Louisa Daquin
green
your downcast eyes, the color of absinthe switch of
your merciless, marching intelligence, the
humor, the passion lines
pulling on your cigarette, getting me aroused and nervous
without trying, you command all attention
wit is sharper than a sword
when you didn’t talk to me
it was like a blonde flower, turning her lights out
I’m speaking to you in a language, I outlawed
we only trust those like us
who smoked and drank and have to show on our tired faces
the weariness of living
catching in the darkness like a skinned rock, thrown out to sea
on Brighton beach
where we’ll always be young and beautiful
me chasing you in the cold sea
you disappearing into green waves
fahrenheit before the storm
you stay like migrating butterflies, only a short time
before going on with your pilgrimage
and those who want more of you
watch the skies with only memories
I would try to unpick
the moves we made around each other
attempting to gauge what was real and imaginary
if you read this; yes, it is about you
and if you wonder; yes, I do
and if you call for me; I will come
to the summit where people who are strangers and known
stand and expose themselves to
the terror and beauty of their desire
listen
we who have lived in this world a while
can hear beneath the arch and curl
if we really listen
those hidden things people do not tell
and I thought I saw
in the corners of your motion
something stir
an abacus counting sense and nonsense
on the high cheeks of a woman
who’s quit
doing what she’s told
waiting for you to read my mind
can you see me?
I’m standing waist-deep
waiting for you to read my mind
like you did once with the alacrity of a gymnast
in the throes of passion
braille
morse code
signs and wonders
photos overexposed
ringing phones in the night
knowing the destination in your fingers and finding
without map or lights switched on, blacking-out cries
to be found, oh god
to be found again
by you
thursday flirtation
I am drawn to the shy fruiting shape of her mouth
as we talk and artfully avoid
what is undisclosed in space existing
between strangers, then become friends
not yet more
will she understand? unbutton one permission
without need to drink liquor or gather foreign courage
from the same source we all go
unsure and burning up with tiptoeing fever
two cars going in separate directions
one moment I am holding a glass
of your words
believing myself loved
the next the house is being emptied
sold for next family to inhabit, my footsteps
a time I held onto
boxes of memories like a kite
if you let go of the string
they rise higher out of sight
I can pack the entirety of me
in one small bag and still have room for heartache
the radio host warns us of impending rain, another storm
we threw sharp glances at each other until there was no more
blood left inside to keep warm
stop lights blinking in humid downpour
… get out and run toward
something already buried and underground
I hear the gear shift, watch in rear mirror
the outline
of you
grow
gradually thinner
against
orange light
and the sound
of someone
crying out
remember?
lost my memory in a dish I left outside
the rain filled it up and soon thoughts
sodden and wrinkled
were illegible
soot and smoke gathered
like regretful children with dirty hands
smudging their best pictures
late summer rain drowned out
the sound of me calling
you would have heard but you had
long stopped listening
when the trees were still straight
not bent and crooked offering up their rotten roots
then you were a woman who loved someone else
I was a piece of paper
too wet to decipher
had you wanted to
and you did not
you did not
~~~
Daquin is an Editor, Writer, Psychotherapist, and Publisher. In addition to working as a therapist, she edits for five magazines and two publishing houses. Candice was first featured in 2022. Her piece, Phantasma, featured in 2022, was nominated for the Push Cart Prize. You can find her reblogs, features, and interviews HERE. This is her second feature of 2024.
If you’d like to be featured on The Short of It in the future,
click here for the submission guidelines.
#TheShortofIt – Vol 1 The Sound of Brilliance and Vol 2 Reflections & Revelations on Amazon
Ash Jaudon
Fated For Loneliness
Sleep eludes the silent voice of suffering
Quiet nights endured alone wreck barren souls
Universal oneness with darkness
Universal separation unfolds
Pockets of light kiss the skin on occasion
Imitating joy others daily know
Solitude calls weary heads to rest
Solitude, the only place that feels like home
Color Theory
Green radiating from my imbalanced heart chakra
Powered by the aventurine in my pocket
Its glow dulls every day I don’t meditate
Matching the dead green that overshadows the blue
In my eyes on my darkest days
Green, the color of health in my soul and the Earth
But the color of sickness in my body and mind
A color of duality
A color of mystery
Mind Palace
I light up again in the pale moonlight
Silence is here
Not even a raindrop could make me listen
Dusk is my home
Nesting my loneliness in the shadows
The Son of Night
If the sun shines
And flowers bloom
Even in the most
Desolate of places
Why then can’t we propagate
Ourselves in foreign spaces
Thoughts on Duality
Like the red-stained ground of the morning
Or the powdery pink overtones of dusk
We are all tinted differently
Where the dark and the light meet
Climate Change
I can hear the conifers crying
Decades of deciduous growth destroyed
I can feel the trauma of trees
Calling out in fear
Curtail
How do you slip out of the plane of existence
Not to a higher place
But to a nothing place
Everyone else traps you here with selfish insistence
By imitating love
Obligation isn’t love
Is there an exit that doesn’t draw a witness
Not out with a big bang
Out with a flickering
~~~
Ash Jaudon has been writing for a lifetime, but only in recent years have they challenged themselves to publicly share their written and spoken words. Emerging as a poet has been the next step on an intense journey of authenticity. They are becoming known for their tarot-inspired typewriter poems, which can be found on their Instagram @liminal_luminarian . This is Ash’s first feature with The Short of It.
If you’d like to be featured on The Short of It in the future,
click here for the submission guidelines.
#TheShortofIt – Vol 1 The Sound of Brilliance and Vol 2 Reflections & Revelations on Amazon
Project (Verb)
Inspired by What do you see #243
when feeling cold doubt
remember you’re beautiful
be bold, represent
Small Steps, Big Passages
Inspired by Eugenia’s Weekly Challenge – Dramatic &
Reena’s Exploration Challenge #241 – The only ghost that scares is a past version of you.
born, learn, grow, crisis, steps back, success, loss
life’s cycle of dramatic events
in the big picture
churning and adapting to a new edition
the only ghost that scares is a past version of you
What Is Seen
Inspired by Sadje’s What do you see #134
only a smattering of fragments
and hints will i give you
seemingly evasive or cagey
self-preservation
always on my mind
detection is a concern
wholeness eludes even me
the person closest
experiencing it all
compartmentalizing the good
the bad and the ugly
i’m complexity wrapped in skin
Reblog – If It Did by Paul Vincent Cannon
My response to this piece – “The image accompanying it is such a clear picture of the contortions we go through for the sake of others.” Wouldn’t you agree?
“Nothing ever really goes away, it just changes into something else. Something beautiful.” Sarah Ockler
If It Did But what if I wasn't, or if I couldn't, maybe never would, and what if I didn't, well, would it really matter? Because if it did, perhaps you'd change your mind? Whatever your disposition, this dissonance won't leave. ©Paul Vincent Cannon
I Write Her 