the locked mind

The “Redo” and Starting Over: A central desire throughout the book is the wish to redo the past or find a “start over” to escape past mistakes and pain.

Healing from Trauma: The writing documents a journey through intense emotional distress, including mentions of a “suicidal mind”, panic attacks, and an eating disorder.

The Shift in Identity: The author explores the feeling of losing oneself, describing a transformation into a “shadow” or a “punching bag of emotions”.

Freedom Through Faith: Spiritual salvation is a recurring resolution, with the author finding peace through the “blood of Jesus” and the strength of the Lord.

Key Relationships

The Mother: Represented as a standard of “normal” that the author struggles to reach, yet also someone the author fears becoming a “shadow” of.

The “Light in Shining Armor”: A significant partner who acted as a “beacon of hope” and helped the author transition from a place of “less” to a place of being “proud”.

The Betrayer/Ex-Partner: Various sections address people who took advantage of the author’s vulnerability, used hurtful words that “spew” like “raw meat”, or physically harmed the author.

The Brother: Described as a “gift that can never be taken”, representing a pure and preferred bond within the family.

Symbols and Motifs

Teacups under Pressure: Used to describe the feeling of being on the verge of “shattering” from the weight of life or the “yelling” of others.

Chains of Glass: A metaphor for past fears and tears that “stab” into the wrist but are eventually dropped through hope.

The “Locked” vs. “Unlocked” Mind: The overarching progression of the book moves from a mind “locked away” by others to an “unlocked” and “new” mind that is ready to “press play” on a new chapter.

Writing as a Weapon/Tool: The author views their poems as “babies” and a “way of saying that I make a change with every word”.

Character Growth Arc

Days 1–7 (The Struggle): Dominated by fear, the burden of grief, and the feeling of being “insignificant”.

Days 8–15 (The Turning Point): Finding external support (“My light in shining armor”) and the realization that their own words can help them “stand up”.

Days 16–26 (The Resolution): Moving toward self-reliance (“Be your own knight in shining armor”) and finding a “new mind” that leaves the past “in the dark”.