Passionate writing: Brianna Stuart Sits with the Trouble

Brianna Stuart

By Erick Wansley

When you are overwhelmed with negative emotions, you must find some way to disperse them so they don't consume you from the inside. There are many ways to do that, but one common way is to write, especially if you’ve got a lot to say. An example of this phenomenon is Brianna Stuart’s poem, “What is Unconditional Love? March 2026.”  Brianna wrote this poem as an outlet to express intense emotions she felt when learning about violent ICE arrests around the country and how there has been so much hate in the world. The poem is long, but it gets its point across with every word.

Brianna is a junior in college majoring in English and Professional Writing. She explains that she originally did not know what to say, but she started writing.  As she wrote more, she started to enjoy it more and put more heart into it.

Brianna likes hanging out with her three cats and hiking, which she finds comforting and relaxing.  She also used to have a blog where she felt like she could just write whenever she felt like it. She doesn't want to hold on to frustration and hate, so writing this poem helped her deal with these kinds of feelings.

Reading the poem really opened my eyes to see how someone with a ton of emotions to unload would write.  The writing is somber but also theatrical in describing the world Brianna sees. The style of Brainna’s writing helps a reader visualize what she wants us to imagine.  Her perspective is also hopeful near the end, giving the message of not giving up and continuing everyday with being a good person, even amid negativity.

The power of the creative process can be used to make pieces of literature that can help someone express themselves.  In the process, writers don’t just write for themselves, but to share thoughts and feelings that other people can relate to.  Poetry like Brianna’s demonstrates the power of creativity to spread messages that people can take with them and hold onto in their lives.

What is Unconditional Love? March 2026

By Brianna Stuart

You want a license to kill 

Agency to disregard    

The existence of another   

Trading humanity     

Set us apart 

I’m sorry, 

    You were once discarded

    Disregarded

    By another on borrowed time 

I mean no harm or ill intent

    You can hit this cheek

   Or that

I mean no harm or ill intent

     You can ignore my words

     Traveling from my heart

     Through shallow ears, and back 

I mean no harm or ill intent

     Longing and searching

     Wondering where is safe?

Home - is it a person, place, idea of homeostasis?

We've fallen

Far 

But perfect standards -

      who could be so tall?

Your mistakes

     Still, 

Won't reflect what is known 

That you too,

     Still matter 

In pain and in sorrow

That you too,

    Still matter 

When the light of day

     Won't see tomorrow 

That you too,

     Still matter -

Greater to God   

Than to me 

How much you're loved,

    You'll never know 

With ambition and direction 

I charge toward a path  

Stumbling to remember 

Some things won’t come to pass 

Some will, 

Beautiful plans,

Ahead there's a sunset I've never seen,

And I love those, 

I chase them, 

I won't stop.

If the day is given,

   There are colors to be seen.

Erick Wansley is a First-Year student at the University of Bridgeport.