ripe age of
an eight and a four
an age everyone
is more concerned
about my love life
than i will ever be
idea upon idea
impressed upon me
layers of expectations
domes of doom
wise words
cement into a cage
as gentle voices
voice demands
do i know what i want?
do they know what i want?
*I doubt that you can read the above and not feel its peacefulness even though the subject appears to be one that is of great sadness. Tien is great at this. I wanted to do a direct Reblog, but that option is not available via his blog. Please show him some love via the link above. Peace, beautiful people.
Justice, where is your place in damned cities and states unsure of their constitutional rights?
Are you equipped to handle the damaging
tides rushing in and submerging people
under your watch?
Tasked with satisfying everyone
regarding everything, Justice, can you
handle your job?
Will you pass it down to your
offspring or shield them from the heartache
it will cause trying to manage
what cannot be?
Where is your listening ear
when the death tolls rise?
Justice, you used to be punctual.
Lately, you are beating around bushes
and lollygagging with teenagers unsure
of their place in this world.
I was certain that we paid you well.
I was sure that you had everything you needed.
Justice, how many more lives
must be taken for you to see
that the world is less humane
when you’re off duty?
How many more days will pass
without you willing to change and clean
up the messes you have made?
You used to be admirable,
a timeless happenstance that everyone
adored.
You used to be d e p e n d a b l e.
Now, Justice, you are fading from view
and the place you once held is
the place you hide from.
You are homeless,
Void of concern and care
and irresponsible.
Mitul Bhat is one of Medium’s newest users, but his words prove that he has been writing for a long time. Recently added to A Cornered Gurl, Mitul shared a poignant and emotional piece of poetry where he personifies a bullet in hopes of inspiring it to not kill him. Please make him feel welcome, beautiful people. And now, the piece in question:
Lenovo Chromebook|Jernee as my wallpaper/Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
The 39th birthday is coming up in April and with the success and growth of A Cornered Gurl via Medium, it was high time that I purchased a companion to accompany me while doing work when I am mobile. I have a lot of trips scheduled, the first will be next Thursday as I will go home to Savannah, Georgia for a few days. With the addition of new contributors to the publication, stats’ numbers rising, and multiple drafts submitted for review and publishing, this is going to be my new best friend. I am thinking of ways to keep the pub current and a place for growth and an embracing environment for those who feel as though they are not being heard or they are not loud enough on Medium.
A Cornered Gurl is a read-for-all community, meaning that I do not allow locked or metered paywall pieces to be published in this publication. Since Medium has transitioned to a member/subscription platform, more and more of the work that is curated is locked or paywalled and you have to be a subscribing user to read them or you have to wait to use your freebies each month in order to be able to enjoy the paywalled pieces. I wanted this publication to give readers what they’re paying for to read for free–the same quality work, by most of the Writers they are used to reading. Writers are already noticing the benefits of contributing to the publication and just recently, I implemented a new way of showing my appreciation to those who exceed 1,000 claps on Medium. For Writers who reach this milestone, I will issue $10.00 to them via PayPal or via an Amazon e-gift card. So far, there have been two contributors to meet and exceed 1K claps in A Cornered Gurl. Another one is quite close to this milestone.
I think it is important to show people who are helping you grow that you appreciate them, that you want to invest in their talents. Here via the WordPress site, I am featuring various Writers from the Medium pub each month and so far, both featured Writers have been quite pleased with the results of their work. I want A Cornered Gurl to continue to grow and I want to continue to reach people and touch their hearts. Going mobile and branching out a bit more is just two of the most recent visions that I have for ACG. In my heart of hearts, this feels like work that I am supposed to do, that I am meant to do and I LOVE IT!
Coming up in April, there will be a call for submissions for the Young Minds of Medium (ages 15-25) to submit their work for the entire month to be published on Mondays and Fridays. The theme has not been chosen yet, but I am narrowing it down to my top three topics. I am hoping to get the young ones to write their hearts out about the theme and possibly attract a little more eyes to their work. I am not just shooting for the stars here folks, I am trying to pull those babies outta the sky.
If you want to help us out in any way that you can or fund our journey with the smallest gift, I have implemented a PayPal button (in the social media section of the sidebar) for you to be able to donate whatever you like to A Cornered Gurl. Please know that I appreciate your time, eyes, hard-earned money and all proceeds received will go to honoring these contributors the best way that I can and eventually, send their voices out into the ether where they can be their loudest.
I am not the heart beating in his chest
no sense of calm can make the storm
raging in him subside. I say that I know his pain,
but truly, do I?
Am I walking the same path? He has his hands raised above his
head permanently, a shell of a soul, residing in a body beaten from the
very earth that struck it into being.
Dust upon dust,
dirt upon dirt.
He shows no form of mimicry —an exhausted
engine chugging towards an unknown
destination.
I am trying to learn about his
relentless past, how it hangs over him,
dangling like fresh meat.
He tells me that the damaging years
are far behind him and
I see truth glimmering in his eyes.
“We all have our demons, our battles.
You are fighting yours. I am fighting mine. Are you willing to win because
I have no time for another loss.” The way he holds his mouth,
terrified of uttering the truth,
makes me love him even more.
Makes me realize that he has groundwork to lay and
the foundation of us may have
to be placed on hold.
The spinning web we have
weaved holds no sustenance. Everything caught, must be
released.
A Cornered Gurl 
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