the chaos of yesteryears
stained wet my face
impeded my advancement
physically, mentally, and emotionally
severely slowed down my progress
when the catalysts came
one after the other
they laid down a tough foundation
raised boundaries forged to protect
as knowledge and wisdom grew
so did my being
where i began, my past ended
Inspired by Reena’s Exploration Challenge #236 – Rebirth & Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt – Ablaze
enunciating with clarity
i claim my rebirth
strength bolstering conviction
mind and body ablaze
with searing direction
forging this new path
a self-directed life
Below is the description of the anthology as it will appear on Amazon:
Award-winning authors, Pushcart nominees, emerging poets, voices of women and men, come to the fore in this stunning, powerful, and unique anthology. Their poems testify to the challenges that women face in our society, and to their power to overcome them. A memorable collection of over 200 poems by more than 100 authors, this anthology is a must-have for anyone. We all can benefit from the poetry of survival, and of healing. We all can benefit from the experiences so beautifully evoked in this book. We can all come together to emerge triumphant from pain.
On the day of the release, the Book Launch event will be live-streamed via social media, so everyone will have a chance to hear poems from the anthology read by the poets themselves. For further updates check Gabriela’s or Ingrid’s social media accounts:
Twitter
@shortprose1 (Gabriela Marie Milton)
@Experimentsinfc (Ingrid Wilson)
Instagram
@experimentsinfiction
@gabriela_marie_milton
I’m so excited for this anthology to release soon! Can’t wait to read the incredible voices that are showcased in this powerful book.
Inspired by Reena’s Exploration Challenge #231 & Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt – Smattering
let only a smattering
of what others say penetrate
beneath the protective sheathing
built up over the years
of defining how to live
with yourself
don’t let their insecurities, insensitivities, and disrespect
enter your own “community of madness”
for you have enough on your plate
with you and only you
dive in despite the hurt
bring your light to being
Inspired by Reena’s Exploration Challenge #229 & Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt – Starry Nights
on these starry nights
immersed in that which grounds me
reflective insights come easily
seeing immense possibilities on the horizon
i have untapped abilities waiting to be discovered
Good news, first thing this morning! The upcoming anthology Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women notified me that my two pieces My Self Evolving and Loud, were selected! This highly anticipated anthology, edited by Gabriela Marie Milton (Short Prose) and published by Ingrid Wilson (Experiments in Fiction), debuts in early June 2022. I’m grateful they felt my thoughts spoke the message of this anthology—the power and boldness of strong women. Thank you so much, Gabriela and Ingrid.
Stay tuned for more information about its upcoming release!
Abyss
shriek into the void
dark shadows shatter, dissolve
still empty inside
alone in abyss
my screams no longer echo
finally absorbed
a soul-touching croon
expands to vast crescendo
calls me back to life
Alive
clasped closely
– I do not wish to escape
held by darkness
– his cold embrace, a refuge
he lives
– because of my blood
I am not yet dead
– he needs me alive
Victim
docile, I submit
ecstasy, then sudden pain
give myself freely
moonlit muscles enfold me
metallic kisses drown me
you cannot live without me
I need you to sustain me
what have you woken
in the embers of my soul –
dark flame of your heart
Attitude
with an
attitude as
bad as my boots, I strut,
swagger and sneer – untouchable
bite me!
killing for sheer adrenaline
no emotion this side
of death; why should
I care?
Suicide
no one hears me
therefore I do not exist
pale ghost in shadow
I step out into sunlight
erupt in blaze of glory
~~~
Freya Pickard is the author of The Kaerling series, an epic fantasy. She writes mainly fantasy tales and creates poetry in order to rest the prose side of her brain. She finds her inspiration in the ocean, beautifully written books, and vinyl music (particularly heavy metal and rock). Freya was featured twice in The Short of It – May 2020 and October 2020. Her piece, Sailing, featured in the first anthology – was selected for the Pushcart Prize.
Submissions are now closed but if you’d like to be featured on The Short of It in the future,
click here for the submissions guidelines.
#TheShortofIt
Inspired by Reena’s Exploration Challenge #223 – No Mercy &
Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt – Soaring
show no mercy
to those things
keeping you from soaring
Aureate waves
Dusky rays
dive into the depths of ocean
to strip off the chores of a day
Littered waves
flown in aureate color
wake up a star-studded sky
Woman
She is like a hurricane
never try to tame her waves
you will be blown away
But reach for her eyes
she will smile like a confetti
and let you dance in the core
To the mind
Dear mind,
I am never ever giving you up
for you are pouring indefinite closeness
I am never ever letting you go dull with time
for you are pressed deep within my heart
I will keep on writing for you
and make you bloom like a euphoric moon
as poetry is nothing but a POisEd TheRapY!
Fallen flowers
Petite petals of Bougainvillea,
wild, pink, and purple
adorning the silence of a season.
She feels everything, but not heavy
lying unappreciated on the ground
she embroiders a cobblestoned street.
You’re the beautiful wilderness on fire
My love quotes are all about a single person,
a clear crystal which is the Armour of my heart
He came as a flutter into my soul
and kissed my heart like an unending confetti
He holds my hands and pulls me closer to him
letting me crown his kingdom
His adventures brush my lush storms
intoxicating my hard and scrubby skin in his arms
And at the edge of every naked hot hug, he whispers
‘you’re the beautiful wilderness on fire’.
~~~
Akhila Siva is a plant-woman breathing poetries, a self-motivated lifelong learner decoding signs from the universe, and a blogger bleeding out all the intoxicated imperfections of her soul through her words. Her works have been featured in several online publications and anthologies. She is the founder and sole contributor of Words and Notion and Quality Notion. Akhila was first featured on The Short of It in 2020, published in The Sound of Brilliance in 2021, and showcased on I Write Her a few times too. You can find all the links HERE.
Submissions are now closed but if you’d like to be featured on The Short of It in the future,
click here for the submissions guidelines.
#TheShortofIt
Redux
I want to thank my friend Chuck for reblogging some of my much earlier thoughts from my old blog – PhiloSusi. This piece from 2015 highlighted how far I’ve come since those years of my childhood but also what followed in the lessons I learned. I’m glad I went back and reread it. It reminds me how much my world has gotten better. With slight revisions, I hope you enjoy it.
~~~
When I look in the mirror now, I see the beauty within and on the surface of the creation, which was initially out of my hands.
It wasn’t always that way.
“You’re so fat.”
“Can’t you be smarter?”
“Just stop, I’ll do it. You’re doing it wrong!”
“You’re not good enough!”
“Why can’t you do better?”
“Only angry people are crazy!”
“No one will want to date you.”
“You’re so stupid!”
“Can’t you do anything right?”
The words were repeated often enough and fell easily into my psyche, stuck there for a long time.
I never realized when I was younger it was a sick and twisted game initiated by someone who was supposed to just love me. I didn’t know how to maneuver a win against someone I looked up to. The person who made me feel low and afraid to achieve had an agenda which my tender years didn’t understand. I was competition, which elevated her every time she uttered one of those statements. She, being the winner every time. Me, the loser.
Or so I thought.
Today I’m filled with confidence in my being, a fierce determination to exist exactly the way I want to be, have an appreciation for myself that was non-existent before, and hold the firm position that I am just right. My body image was extremely poor, and to this day, I don’t think I see what others do, but I’m probably three-quarters of the way there to loving my body exactly as it is.
I don’t need to compete with the ghost anymore. Who I am and how I look was already winning.
I Write Her 