A poetic exploration of the words we know and the emotions we struggle to explain.

There are words for almost everything. Happiness, jealousy, loneliness, nostalgia, love, regret. We learn their definitions, use them in conversations, and assume we understand what they mean. Yet the same emotion can feel entirely different depending on who experiences it, when it arrives, and what memories accompany it.

The Dictionary of Human Feelings is my collection of original poetry exploring the complicated, contradictory, and occasionally amusing nature of human emotions. Each entry takes a familiar word and examines what lies beyond its ordinary definition.

Some entries are inspired by personal experiences. Others come from observations, imagination, or the peculiar ways people respond to life. Not every poem is intended to comfort. Some question, some challenge, and others simply describe feelings we recognise but rarely discuss.

This isn’t a psychological textbook or an attempt to define how everyone should feel. It’s a literary dictionary, written from one person’s perspective and open to a thousand different interpretations.

After all, a dictionary can tell us what a word means. It cannot tell us everything that word has meant to someone.

AJ Gabriel

COLLECTIONS

The Dictionary of Human Feelings

Entry 001 — Nostalgia

Entry 002 — Longing

Entry 003 — Gratitude

Entry 004 — Envy

Entry 005 — Hope

Entry 006 — Loneliness

Entry 007 — Regret

Entry 008— Courage

Entry 009— Forgiveness

Entry 010—Acceptance

Entry 011—Trust

Entry 012—

Entry 013—

Entry 014—