Notes From the Margins

This is work done by the Tacos and Trauma Writing Group, Fall 2025 - A writing group within the Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center of Middle Tennessee St

ate University (MTSU)

We met every Friday during the Fall semester 2025 to eat Tacos together and write, both separately and together, culminating in an extemporaneous group poem. Although the membership varied every week, the group began to write as a group whose voice became one as the semester progressed.

The following eight poems are the poems of this group. Thank you, Tacos and Trauma Writing Group for showing up for the group and for yourself.

Poem 6

10/31/25

We often question if we are deceiving ourselves. Or not. What is the answer here? We explore self-deception in this poem, in the most open way possible. So perhaps the openness can overturn self-deception. We continue to grow when we do this—grow when we look at ourselves and write about our deepest thoughts and feelings.

The deception that you showcase is too much for anyone to swallow.

How much longer can you feed this sorrow?

“Never” has such finality to it.

Never sometimes brings abnormality with it.

Never have I ever not believed it’s going to be better.