Kristen Balyeat
Bio
Words fly to me on the wind, bump into me as I'm strolling the city, splash me in the face while I rest by the river, and shake me awake in the middle of the night– I’m humbly one of the many vessels they use to come to life.
Stories (123/0)
- Top Story - March 2024
27,890 ft
Breath has always been mine without thought, but each frigid inhale is all-consuming here. I check my oxygen tank—there is enough to summit. I breathe to full capacity, yet I am not satiated. Every minute feels like a slow suffocation, a drowning on dry land. The more thought I give to the act of breathing, the more lightheaded I become. My heart pounds a deafening survival anthem, and suddenly, I have a sickening feeling that I will die here. Panic whips over me like the thrashing snow beating against my goggles.
By Kristen Balyeatabout a month ago in Fiction
- Top Story - February 2024
vocal bliss
As the new year approaches, there is always a significant push to pick ourselves apart, see where we can make personal improvements, set goals, and decide how to completely change our lives to become even better versions of ourselves. Although I feel the excitement around the impulse of making changes, improving, and setting goals, I’m not one to set my lofty resolutions during the frigid winter months. I’m in hibernation mode, and if it doesn't include a sweater, slippers, and tea, I’m probably not going.
By Kristen Balyeat2 months ago in Writers
- Top Story - January 2024
- Top Story - January 2024
- Top Story - December 2023
wurds tae loue 'n' wurds tae hate
My entry for Paul's Challenge, which you can find below! Author's Note: I used a translation website to translate some of the words to Scottish Slang, which I have italicized throughout the poem. I don’t know if the translations are accurate, but seem to be. Paul, you’ll have to evaluate!
By Kristen Balyeat3 months ago in Poets
me, for this breath
Over the past couple of weeks, I have spent significant time contemplating my mental landscape, trying to pinpoint a single event in my life that marked a shift in identity—a defining moment that triggered a cascade of questions about who and what I am. I've explored the seismic events from childhood to the present, and there have been plenty that brought me to my edges.
By Kristen Balyeat3 months ago in Humans