Minimalist Gossip Magazine Cover (49).pdf (13) - Flipbook - Page 90
IMPOSTER SYNDROME
IMPOSTER SYNDROME
Set at least seven alarms.
Pre-empt them all, bolt upright from sleep
with anxiety. Add fuel to fire,
throw back a coffee, fling on a jumper,
kick the laptop into gear
and stare. Blank screen, flashing cursor.
You should be writing but it’s like you’ve
never typed before in your life and you
wouldn’t even know where to begin.
How did you fool them this way?
Hoodwinking, deflection, out-and-out lies;
perhaps not deliberate but now they’re
under the delusion you’re clever.
Keep up the pretense. Maybe just do some
research today. Go to the library, pick up that book
by the guy with the moustache –
Nietzsche, most likely – and don’t forget your ID
this time, appease the helpdesk woman
always on YouTube who reminds you of ways
the internet protects against a sense of
impending doom and from whom
you would never ask for help.
There’s a hashtag for this, probably.
Something about being in disguise or otherwise
impersonating. People who claim to know
nothing, then fend off praise from others
masquerading as failures. But you?
You’re the real deal.
A stack of books, Ctrl+A Delete and a blank screen.
Too much caffeine, too little sleep,
chasing someone you have never been
and will not become.
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