When I was instructed to remove the vowels from this letter, I was confused. I was being asked to remove essential parts of my message, I felt annoyed at first, and then somewhat betrayed, because I’d done the work in putting down my thoughts and beliefs. And now it feels like they don’t matter that they’ve not just been brushed aside but actively erased.

My effort was essentially for nothing. Then I realized the purpose of the exercise, and it made me think of people who had essential rights and freedoms, and their voices taken away, silenced. I began to empathize even in this small way, and understand that if I felt this way, about a writing prompt how much they feel, having their voices taken away, their opportunities, their beliefs, their freedoms taken away?