Mike Ortega
Bio
A proud Bostonian of Puerto Rican decent. Mike relishes in overcoming adversity. A man of principle, respect; Mike often tackles subjects that are deep, personal and timeless, all with a bit a humor. @mic.the.entertainer
Stories (7/0)
PB and You
A note from the author: Good day friends! I'm a true lover of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Recently, I met an amazing girl and began spending a lot of time with her. She happens to have a severe peanut allergy, so I avoid eating it all together whenever she's around or about to come over. But once she leaves, the craving comes back in full force....
By Mike Ortega2 years ago in Poets
The Most Important Meal of the Day
"The girls have, what I like to call, 'dick envy.'" I hear this time and time again, but how would you explain the first twelve years of my life. Raised by women, the man I was expected to become was different from the man men in my family attempted to mold me into. As a child, I was very sensitive and emotional, never feminine, but more in touch with my inner feelings. Amongst women, that was ok, but when surrounded by the men in my family, crying was a sign of weakness. Thinking that they were what I had to become, it felt like an obligation to learn to hide my feelings, and show no weakness, but at home, with the girls no one fought their feelings. If we wanted to cry because it hurt when we slammed our finger, or just because we were offended by what someone said, then we'd fucking cry. Plus at home, there was no competition, so the feelings were mostly positive anyway. As I grew older, and girls lost their cooties, and my eyes finally dried up, and finally my uncles could relate to me, I began to see that becoming a man does not have a clear definition. 'The girls' would want me to work hard in school, keep my eyes on the prize, and stay driven. Society wanted me to collapse, succumb to the drugs, the violence. Society made itself the most appealing, but the influence from 'the girls' kept me on a somewhat steady path. When I finally had experience under my belt, pun intended, my uncles and I would talk more, swap stories, and it was clear what being a man was to them. "Fuck as many girls as you can while you're still young, and never get married." Well, obviously. "Everybody does a little dirt, its part of life. As long as you don’t get carried away." Sound advice and probably the most realistic. Everyone fucks up, lord knows I already have, but it's what you take from the experience that makes the man.
By Mike Ortega2 years ago in Confessions
- Top Story - February 2022
One New Like
The rain insistently tapped on her windowsill, in a rhythmic pattern, much like an uninvited relative knocking to get in. Solitude was what she sought after. How can someone find solitude in a city, she wondered. In an urban environment where a young person simply can’t afford to live alone. In a society where men are constantly on the hunt for a meaningless physical connection and just don’t let up. She glanced at her phone and saw the dozens of notifications from each social media app and dating app, that she purely downloaded out of boredom one night with her fellow single friends. She just cleared these. With no interest at all, she found herself still opening the dating app. Only swiping through those who liked her, that was her deal. She never swiped first; honestly, she rarely had the time if she started with the likes. One hundred seventy three. That was the most she had at a time after just one weekend of not opening the app. She loved the attention, but knew she wasn’t ‘special’. Guys are dogs, right? They’re probably swiping right on everything in hopes to just get their rocks off. What was she doing? She didn’t want to open that app. And now somehow she found herself on ‘the gram’ scrolling through pictures and videos full of people with fake smiles, unrealistic filters, and portraying lives much more lavish than they actually live. At least she hoped so, because that’s what her posts were full of. She’s not ‘special’. She put her phone down and walked over to her window. The rain was beginning to let up. She never saw herself married with kids, but in a world where everyone finds happiness with another person, even when you find happiness alone you’re almost forced to feel lonely. Friends find lovers, have kids and move on. Family seems to abandon you once you’re of age and stop listening to their propaganda. How can someone want to be left alone so bad yet feel so bad when they’re alone? She can shake this feeling, she thought. She’d have to shake it every time she was alone, but she could do that.
By Mike Ortega2 years ago in Humans
