Month: September 2023

One Year Later, I Must Move On

trE

I am sharing this final newsletter from A Cornered Gurl via Medium.

I love this space, and it will always have my heart, but I have to let some things go.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

I don’t want to be that editor who shuts down their publication without sending a proper goodbye and explanation… So, here we are.

And here is not where I want to be, but here is where I have to be.

Some of you may know, that I was promoted at work this past March, and with that promotion, came assignments and responsibilities that eat up my time, and sometimes my sanity.

As much as I would love to continue to don a superhero cape and keep the midnight oil burning for A Cornered Gurl, ultimately, I cannot.

I can no longer work full-time, take care of a senior dog, coordinate event planning details for our company Engagement Team, and breathe without feeling like I will pass out.

It is a lot! Recognizing this and knowing the depth of what it takes to accurately review, edit, schedule, publish, and interact with various writers is a surefire epiphany.

One year later, I am at an impasse, but I know my path — I am of sound mind and body, and I say to all of you, it is time.

You Have Given Me Love, So I Give Love To You

I love this space and it will always have my heart, but I have to let some things go. Checking my list of duties and commitments, I have to select things that will break my heart to see them reach their end, but will eventually benefit me in the long run.

Thank you for trusting me with your words. Thank you for trusting me with your heart. Thank you for allowing me to welcome you into this safe space one more time.

I want you to know I have given this so much thought and consideration — devoted days, weeks, and many hours to this decision. It is not a pretty thing to witness oneself fight their own shadow about their dreams.

I am not acting in haste. It is a practice of mine to only draw a conclusion regarding major life changes when I have sat with the idea of those changes for a long time.

I am at peace with this. My mind is at ease.

You Work Will Have A Forever Home

If you have granted me the opportunity to publish your work, it will remain here forever unless you choose to remove it and publish it to your profile or send it to another publication you believe suits the content.

As I did once before, I will leave ACG up for future readers to peruse the words shared here and the interactions, too.

Should you choose to let them stay here, this is their forever home. And I welcome their planted presence as I did upon publishing them.

Will I Still Be Around On Medium

I am toying with the idea of also jumping ship regarding Medium as a whole. I have not yet come to a conclusion on this subject.

I do know I do not have the time to publish my own work nearly as much as I used to.

I also do not have the time to read the work of other writers as much as I used to or would like to.

Medium is ingrained in my heart, but it does not make me emotional anymore at the thought of calling it quits here.

I have devoted nearly ten years to this platform. I have been here for the many changes that occurred in the past, and I do not know if I have it in me to continue on for the many changes to come.

The jury is still deliberating on that.

Please Keep In Touch

If you want to, and your bones tell you to pursue this task, you can keep in touch with me, should you notice I have gone quiet on Medium.

I will keep ACG’s Instagram page, but make some changes so that it reflects more of who I am as a person and not an editor. You may keep up with me there.

I will always have my website, which includes my blog and other points of contact there. It is also dubbed A Cornered Gurl.

This Is, “See You Around, Not Goodbye”

I would say, “Goodbye and God Bless,” but this is not goodbye. This is simply, “See You Around.” It just will not be here in A Cornered Gurl.

At the publishing of this letter, submissions will be closed.

Please know you are and will forever be thought of, admired, respected, and uplifted.

I wish you well. It has been my pleasure.

*Sidenote: I am NOT leaving WordPress. This is my home. This is for Medium only. ❤️💜💙

Peace and blessings.

Originally shared as the final newsletter in A Cornered Gurl via Medium.

thunder

trE


my neighbor has thunder
in her heels.
she storms down our
hallway, but at an
easy-going pace.

I smile–say, “Hey, there!”
in my slight Southern drawl.
she smiles–returns the
greeting.

on our end of the hall,
there are four doors.
I catch her mostly, turning
the corner like her life
depends on the next step.

she’s a fortress … looks
down at Jernee and gushes.

I pull her leash tighter in my
hand, keep her close to me.
we pass her often–
in a hurry to slide through
our door.

I hear her say under her breath,
but loud enough to get
my attention–“Have a good night.”
I respond, “You as well.”

the storm disappears with her.
her door closes and I think,
“I didn’t introduce myself yet
again.”
maybe tomorrow.

“Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind”

trE

A free verse poem

Bath Bombs Photo Credit Tremaine L. Loadholt

the love wrapped up in someone
has fought its way out — eager to
greet the world and shower us
with bath bombs.

how kind must a heart be
to devote its time to creating
gifts with essential oils and other
ingredients melded together to
share with hundreds?

me and my mom walk past my
neighbor’s door and we spot them
instantly.
at first, I decline— with sensitive skin,
it’s hard to try new things and not
know what the body will do 
afterward.

but my mom jumps at the
opportunity to scoop up
two of the balls and grazes
her nose up against each — inhaling
their scents.

I smile at her childlike behavior
knowing an enjoyable night
will occur.

a little envious and curious, too, 
I found myself back at my neighbor’s
door to collect my own bomb.
a white concoction with blue & pink
swirls greeted me.

I had to take it home.

that same night, I drowned my limbs
in the oily inviting fragrances and lost
myself in their mix. 
the next night, I chose another.

I left a “Thank You” note for 
my neighbor as time and patience
have to be two things with which
she’s been blessed.

trying to find my place in a 
new community with new people
around me hasn’t been hard 
at all — my apartment building
is full of welcoming arms and
smiling faces.

these days, this is heaven-sent.

I will try the other bath bomb
this weekend — built-up stress will
need a passageway out of my system,
and a deep cleansing accompanied
by it will be a much-needed welcome
reprieve.

when love is patient and love is kind,
I remember.
wouldn’t you?

Originally published in soliloque via Medium.

TERROR IS POLITICS FOUND

trE

feel both like yesterday and a forever ago

a phone found me
a friend rang
run to the news she said
it’s raining people

thank God no camera
was close up
yet my imagination
had Hubble-like zoom

with Tower two my heart
fell
with Tower one
the constitution

thousands of people
plundered
ten thousand lives
jump cut

and my instant prayer
unedited
went not to a soul
just departed

my missive to
anything
Holy
begged for our children’s
children

damn politics

but if you do that
politics will

damn you

with Tower two my heart
fell

with Tower one
the constitution

TERROR IS POLITICS FOUND

I’ve been reading Doug for a long time now, and well … if you haven’t figured it out for yourself, I’ll be reading his work for many more years to come.

Many have said what they need to regarding this day, but his poem hit me at my core, and I simply had to share it.

Peace and blessings.