Showcase: Tuesday + I’m Forward, Yes! And Why Not? + Kintsugi

Edited by Sarah Frideswide

In this final week of the February Showcase, all of the pieces of writing are associated with movement. Whether that be inner movement in the form of deep personal choices which have an impact on the psyche that no one else can see, or huge, visibly life-changing decisions.

We start with a piece of flash fiction by Danai Pampiglione which examines the inner processes that happen when a person is trapped within the limiting space of a hospital bed and many basic choices are taken away from them. In this piece, the protagonist is unable to move. But we see her making inward choices towards the continuation of her life beyond the situation she finds herself in, which reminds us that empowerment often starts with a decision.

Tuesday

It’s comfortable, this hospital bed. Firm, like mine. I suppose it has to be. They get patients lying in them all day and night. If there was a milometer for hospital beds they’d have loads of miles on them, the hours patients lie in them. Thank God Janice came in yesterday with my things. I really wanted to have my own jim-jams and I was desperate to have bra and knickers on underneath. I’m more myself now. And she brought my phone and toilet bag. She’s been so good to me. She saw me lean on the little fence. I think I fell, or slumped, and she said she’d call an ambulance. Oh God, I hope I haven’t dirtied my new top; I spent ages deciding whether to buy it. The Autograph range at M&S. I don’t know why it took me so long, I could easily have taken it back. I should have saved it for nice, for work maybe. They’re so lovely. The money’s not the best, but the people are so lovely.

Whenever I walk into the surveyor’s office, their shirts look like their wives have ironed them. They’re boisterous and jokey but gentlemanly. And the trades guys, they’re nice too in their navy polo shirts, their sensible uniform. They’re either loud or taciturn, I don’t know why. The housing officers are chattiest, and my lot in finance are really quiet but I don’t mind that. I can get on with my work. I hope I can do my job, and still read and drive. I love my little house.

I suppose I could always take early retirement. I think they call it ill-health retirement but only if you’ve paid enough into your pension. That’s no problem. Only me to think about. Never had a wild life, no girlie weekends in Ibiza, or threesomes, or drugs, or even smoking. And I’ve never really been bothered about sex. I did it once. With my boss in another job. That wasn’t the problem. It just wasn’t what I’d hoped for. I know I’m not pretty. I wanted him to be like Alain Delon: his tender hand stroking the nape of my neck, his other hand tight around my waist as if I were the most desirable woman in the world. I gave up after that. No loss. Not really. Not as important as this. I just want to remember how my brain pictures the days of the week. Then I’ll be ready to go home. Is it like those coloured wooden cubes we played with as children? The red one sits next to the blue one and there’s a green one and a yellow one. Each one a different day of the week. Or maybe they’re like cells on a spreadsheet. Or just a plain old calendar. All I know is that the lady next to me had her chap in. He left his paper and I saw the date. Tomorrow is Tuesday.

© Danai Pampiglione, 2026

*****

In our next piece, we shift from inward to outer choices with life writing by Andréa Cunha which challenges us to consider making big choices and to take risks in the call to achieve our dreams.

I’m Forward, Yes! And Why Not?

I want to start with a question: How many of you have been unemployed? How did you feel? It’s an unpleasant sensation that leaves us depressed, feeling useless in the face of the challenges of everyday life. So many bills to pay, food to put on the table and the dignity that seems to slip away from us. We feel ashamed, incapable and, at times, incompetent. Sometimes, our minds can be treacherous, attracting negative thoughts about ourselves.

Today, I’d like to share my journey with you. I trained in journalism but, as I always let life lead me, I ended up in an indigenous village that needed teachers. It was there I fell in love with education and decided to pursue a degree in history. I plunged into the educational world, teaching Portuguese, history and even arts. I worked with children, young people and adults. I experienced indigenous, Quilombola (Afro-Brazilian descendants), rural and city education. This diversity gave me an immense foundation in adaptability and resilience. Then, once again, I surprised myself: without major plans, I moved to England.

Now what? I quit a career built in Brazil to try my luck in King Charles’s land at the age of 48. Shocking, isn’t it! It takes courage, determination and focus. Has it been easy? No. But impossible? Not at all.

In this new context, I asked myself: what path should I follow? Try something new? Perhaps. But why not leverage the skills I already have to enter the job market here? I started down the traditional route: agencies, job boards, LinkedIn… But I realised this wasn’t enough. I needed to find a path to reintegrate myself.

That’s when I had an insight. What if I presented myself directly to the companies and organisations I identified with? I searched the websites of companies I’d like to work for, those that matched my profile and what I wanted to do. I spent a large part of my time – I’d say about a year – knocking on doors, emailing, offering myself. Telling them who I am, what my qualifications and experience are. Most of the time, they said they had no vacancies at that time, but that  they’d get back to me. I succeeded with some and not with others. But the important thing was to learn from the mistakes. Each “no” was feedback and each “yes” was proof that daring pays off. That’s how I secured my first three jobs.

How many people give up a career to pursue their dream of a better life? Following a traditional path doesn’t always work out. There’s too much competition: you need to dare and do something different because, after all, what counts today is having a unique selling point. So, how about using your creativity to try your own way, and find a light at the end of the tunnel, because competition is fierce. And the numbers don’t lie. The unemployment rate in the UK increased by five per cent last September.

No, life isn’t easy for anyone; we need to reinvent ourselves every day. This reminds me of stories of people who sent unusual CVs or videos to secure a job and succeeded through sheer audacity and creativity. It’s necessary to leave your comfort zone and go fight, roll up your sleeves and simulate strategies so we can achieve our goals. You know, it’s actually pleasurable to do this. I also believe it must be good for our minds. It’s not just the body that needs exercise; the mind does too!

So, how about forgetting that old model of searching for your place in the sun? Let’s be creative, resilient and reinvent ourselves. Because, after all, who likes the same old routine?

Speaking of the same old routine… do you know or remember any cases where candidates, out of desperation or not, dared to be bold when submitting their CVs? Let me tell you about the GameBoy CV case. A digital designer from London named Robby Leonardi created his CV as an interactive 8-bit game, in the Super Mario Bros style. As the recruiter moved the character across the screen, they discovered the candidate’s skills and work history. Fantastic, wasn’t it! What a brilliant mind and a fantastic idea that young man had. And, of course, he got the job.

There was another case here in the United Kingdom where a young man decided to send his CV in the form of a pizza to apply for a job at an advertising agency. Yes, you heard that right. How? Just check this out… Instead of sending his CV in PDF like any normal mortal, the fellow decided to send a pizza box with his CV and portfolio inside, shaped like pizza slices, and the cover letter on the lid. And what do you think? Did he secure the job? Of course he did. After all, it was more than proven that the guy had talent to spare, with high design skills and a massive dose of creativity.

So, the message is clear: invest in personal marketing and avoid the obvious. The truth is, we have to learn to sell ourselves, to make ourselves attractive to companies. This is a conquest. I’m going to make a slightly strange comparison, but it’s more or less like this: when we’re interested in someone, what do we do? We try to make ourselves interesting to that person: we wear our best clothes, put on our best perfume, make ourselves beautiful and even, often, rehearse what we’re going to say on the first date. Isn’t that right? It’s the conquest. Don’t you want your dream job? Then fight and conquer your place in the sun!

Have you ever done anything similar? If not, it’s worth trying to see what the results will be. You have nothing to lose, only to gain. Even if it’s not the dream job, what counts is the experience, the learning. And with all these examples, who knows, it might be the inspiration you needed to turn your professional field around. And look, what I did doesn’t even come close, so let’s move forward: with hope, faith, some audacity – and lots and lots of creativity!

© Andréa Cunha, 2026

*****

Finally, for February, we close with a moving poem by Rhianna Johnson about the choice to face past heartbreaks and how this, in itself, can be enough to let the light back in.

Kintsugi

I knew the second I slammed that door that I couldn’t take it back,
The reverberations through the walls mocking me as they shook.
I couldn’t look. Refused my knocking curiosity to see if you were
waiting at the window. I was sure I had shut my own heart in that door
and left it shattered, too scared to face the mess I’d made.

When I was young, I smashed a plate, my favourite plate, and watched
The shards dance sharply across the floor. I gathered them up, one by one
and asked my mother to fix it, but she said there would always be something missing,
a piece too small to see, a piece you didn’t think you’d need, and best to let it lie.
I don’t think she ever recovered after my father shouted her to smithereens.

After I have cried a few years of tears into my sleeve, I go back. I open
the stilled door, still mocking me I’m sure, start to gather the broken
bits of me, as much as I can find. There will always be some left here, with you,
I think, but I have enough to try. The sunset breaks in, gold shards through
the window. I squint. Find I can breathe a little easier with it shining on my skin.

(c) Rhianna Johnson, 2026

*****

You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo, or find us on Podcasters.Spotify.com.

*****

If you or someone you know has been affected by issues covered in our pages, please see the relevant link below for ​information, advice and support​: https://pentoprint.org/about/advice-support/