Tag: Medium

Death by Preparation H

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Flash Fiction

Nevin Ruttanaboonta|Unpslash

John and Lenny stand outside the church drawing in on the butts of their cigarettes lamenting and gossiping about their friend Parker’s death. How does a fifty-five-year-old man manage to make his wife poison him? The two of them shoot the shit, unfazed by the crowd thickening in the pews for the viewing. The church bells ring and the small choir begins their rendition of ‘Nearer My God to Thee.’ They ignore the cues to be seated.

“You heard what happened to him, right?”

“No, I haven’t, just that he was in the hospital for three days before he died. You know what happened?”

“She’d been poisoning him . . . Preparation H in the cake icing every weekend for two years.”

“He did love cake.”

“He did . . . That’s a bad way to go, though. A hemorrhoid cream death. How do you explain that to your kids?”

“You think they’re gonna tell’em? The family?”

“I sure as hell hope not. I wouldn’t want my kids knowing I died a hemorrhoid cream death. Jesus! I ain’t going to the funeral. It’s sure to be a nesting ground for the media. Half the neighborhood’s here and it’s just the viewing.”

“Are you gonna send flowers to his family?”

“Think I’ll send them an edible arrangement and have Edith bake them a pie.”

“Good. I thought you were gonna say ‘cake’. So glad you didn’t.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they don’t want any cake any time soon. Damn. Just, damn. Word on the street is that Janie caught him cheating with Elaine. Elaine of all people, Lenny! Can you believe that?”

“Well, Elaine could bake a mean cake. Wait a minute . . . Do we really know if it was Janie and not Elaine who’d been poisoning him?”

“Aw hell, man. Let’s go inside before folks get to questioning what we’re doing.”

“God. That’s still such a bad way to go.”

The two friends stroll inside the building, each of them finding their own wives, and seating themselves quietly. Neither of them mentions the words ‘cake’ or ‘Preparation H’ ever again.

Here lies Parker T. Overton. Loyal Husband. Loving Father. Faithful Servant of the Lord. June 12, 1964 — July 12, 2019. Death by Preparation H.

Originally published via The Weekly Knob on Medium.

Featured Writer for July

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Jose Pita

Jose hails from South Africa and brings to A Cornered Gurl via Medium passionate writing and a love for our craft that is clearly visible. He delivers emotion-filled and heartfelt work that not only connects with the writing community, but makes you think too. I am honored to have him in our midst and to read his work and share it with all of you. The following piece taps into how one can see heaven differently and why. It is entitled “Heaven is a journey, not a destination.”

Isha Cogborn

Heaven is a journey, not a destination

Think of your favorite story, think of the first time you heard that story . . .

Now imagine someone carelessly spoiling the ending before the journey even began. 

Could you continue to read the story with the same enthusiasm if you knew the end?

Does the belief that we are going to ascend to heaven give us an illusion of knowing the end of our story, hampering our ability to live our lives to the fullest? 

Imagine being completely oblivious to the existence of such a place. Imagine having no illusions of your end.

What if our immortality lay only with the stories we leave behind as well as those willing to share them?

Would this paradigm shift force us to live more complete lives?

Live life as a mortal, not as one given a promise of immortality. Each of us has an interesting tale to tell, but it is our responsibility to ensure that we, not fear, continue to be the authors.

Originally published in A Cornered Gurl via Medium.

The Flip-side

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Depressing “Lazy Limericks”

Robber at the Gates of Paradise|Helene Schjerfbeck — 1924–1925


There once was a pretty girl named Sue 
Who had an odd penchant for glue
She loved to create art
And was known to be smart
But got her fingers caught in a flue

My crazy next-door neighbor Ted
An army, he says he could’ve led
Shot himself one cool night
Left his wife without fight
Detectives found her bound in bed

Justin had a sick crush on Sarah
Said that she’s much better than Farah 
Caught as a peeping Tom
By her sly, nosy Mom
He’s doing time near Lake O’Hara

Author’s Note: Matt Querzoli via Medium shares his “Lazy Limericks” with us from time to time. I admire them. This is my attempt at three lazy, yet depressing limericks. One day, I’ll be able to tackle the meter appropriately, not doing so here, is what makes it “lazy” for me.



Young Ones, You Have A Voice–Use It!

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It’s that time again, time for the second submissions call for young ones ages 15-25. I posted this on Medium as it is a call for users there, but I will always share the submissions call here also. If we do not give our young ones space to express themselves in ways they feel that are helpful and also allow them to be vulnerable, they will more than likely turn to other ways to fill that void. And oftentimes, those ways are not the best. Below is the call for submissions.

Young Minds of Medium

Who or What Inspires You?

Fredrick John|Unsplash

This is a call for submissions. Young Minds of Medium — this is your challenge. I am looking for work from the young Writers here on Medium, ages 15–25. Submissions will be reviewed and posted on Mondays and Fridays during the month of July. THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE! I want to hear from you. I want to feel, connect with, and fall in love with the words you would like to share with the world.

Your theme: “Who or What Inspires You?”

What am I asking?

Who or what inspires you? What drives you as a young Writer, as a human being? If you had to think of a positive role model, who is that person? If you have more than one, get creative with your submission and mention them. You think you can’t put what you’re feeling into words, try me — let’s make it happen together.

I am looking for:

Poetry
Micropoetry
Fiction (no more than 850 words)
Non-fiction (no more than 850 words)
And, your heart. ❤

•You will need to be a current user on Medium for this challenge. Request to be added as a Writer by emailing me at acorneredgurl@gmail.com with “Please Add Me” as the subject line. For the young ones, ages 15–25 already contributing to ACG, please submit your work in draft-form directly to A Cornered Gurl for review, scheduling, and/or publishing. You can submit twice per week, your works will be published on Monday and Friday of that week. Please have a suitable image for your work with notable credit to its source/artist (Please include the link!). You can find plenty of great images via Unsplash, Pixabay, and Pexels. If you are the source for your image, please caption that.

Please subtitle your entries “Young Minds of Medium Inspiration Call” and tag your pieces with the following “Growth” & “Inspiration.” CHALLENGE SUBMISSION BEGINS NOW!

The start date for publishing the YMOM pieces is Monday, July 1, 2019, and the end date is Friday, August 02, 2019. Other contributors to ACG, please, no worries. You can submit as you normally would to A Cornered Gurl and your work will be published as well, however, a total of three pieces will be published on Mondays and Fridays for all other Writers, leaving the floor wide open for our young ones. I hope you will understand and accept this.

*Please remember that A Cornered Gurl is a read-for-all community and there will be no metered paywall or locked pieces published here. Thank you.

And now, a little inspirational music: David Bowie/Heroes

Young Minds of Medium, WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

ACG Submission Guidelines:


Originally posted via A Cornered Gurl on Medium.

The Journey Back To Mental Wellness

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Will Rogers’ paraphrased quote, located in my therapist’s office. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Part IV: Releasing Tension

It is an odd yet beautiful thing to shed, to release. As painful as it is, I am becoming more and more aware of its necessity. I cannot keep holding on to things that are not of my control — living in the past. We hashed this out at my last therapy session. The moment I walked into the room, I noticed a few changes. The lighting was just a bit different and my therapist had taken a paraphrased quote by Will Rogers placed it on a note card, and plastic-framed it for display. I snapped a picture of it after relishing its power. We began by me discussing some of the things that have taken place of late and allowing her to process each of them before commenting. This is how we operate. This is what works for us and it has proven beneficial with each visit.

Since my last session, another team member left our facility, one who left decided to come back, and my old supervisor who is now the Clinic Administrator of her own new facility asked me to come and work with her. Needless to say, the constant shifts and overwhelming changes had me on a path of spiraling down, but I have taken the tools learned in therapy and applied them to my daily work-life. Home is a comfort away, so much of these tools are not needed there. I can process better, relax and decompress, and breathe openly without feeling pained. Home is also therapy.

“So, do you think you’ll take the job with your old supervisor?”

“I am still weighing my options with that. I’d have opportunities afforded me there that I do not at my current job, plus — no weekend work and more holiday time off. Did I mention that the practice is closer to where we live?”

“So many pros. Cons?”

“Well, if I took the position, I’d be leaving a team of great people and I love where I currently work. I’d put them in the position of trying to replace yet another person. I just wish things had not taken place the way that they have, but I have no control over that and I am trying to find a way to deal with each blow as they come.”

“You said it best. You have no control over these things. I have a feeling you will choose what you believe to be the best option for both you and your current place of employment. Remember, self-care is important and if transferring will possibly aid you in maintaining self-care, do not deny yourself that.”

Jarred seashells. My therapist has collected these over the years during her visits to various beaches. Just seeing them made me want to start collecting shells too. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

I won’t deny myself what I know is best, but I will not live in the world of a “possibility” or “probability,” either. The job offer comes as an “if.” The facility is new and building a name for itself while marketing its existence and gaining a few new patients each day. I could be a big part of this as I do love telling people about where I work. Our organization has proven to be one of the top organizations in North Carolina. I also believe that I could advance a bit more with this new facility and it would be such an honor to watch it grow and shift and take on new phases in operations as they come. I also know that there is a big chance that other people may be hired even if my old supervisor is currently the Clinic Administrator. She has power, but the higher-ups of our organization have more.

I am waiting, but not waiting at the same time. “Whatever will be, will be.” I tell my therapist this and she commends me on my ability to go along with what is taken place without emotionally breaking down.

“You are moving closer to your center, Tre.”

I hope she’s right. I tell her how I feel myself holding in so much tension and it is all piling up in my neck and shoulders and she stands up and shows me a method her chiropractor introduced to her since she tends to hold tension in the same area. She signals me to rise from the couch and follow her in motion. I do so. We center our heads, hold our arms out horizontally, spread our fingers, and then push our arms down, centering our elbows, and touching our hips with our hands. I could feel the relief in my neck area as the method ends. I tell her that this method will be a useful thing to do right before bed. She agrees.

There were brief moments where I teared up — just thinking of possibly leaving yet not knowing what lies ahead, frightens me. I want to be able to make a difference wherever I work and I get the opportunity to do this daily at my current job, however, roles have shifted and some people are clueless to their roles and that can be a harmful thing. I fear another toxic work environment, but I also believe that I can prevent it from becoming one.

“That is too much pressure for one person, Tre.”

She’s right. She is definitely right.

Originally published via A Cornered Gurl on Medium.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Featured Poem of the Week

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Ashwini Dodani

Ashwini was recently added to A Cornered Gurl as a contributor and is a faithful supporter and pretty well known Writer on Medium. He specializes in gut-punching, knee-buckling poetry, and can also melt your heart too. He is the Editor and sole host of From The Poet’s Heart, a publication on Medium that is budding beautifully. What he will bring to the publication is a sound and consistent flow of the beauty of words and I am rather happy he is now apart of our community. His poem “Standing Up For Myself” is this week’s feature.


Standing Up For Myself

Not Your Business

Photo by Allan Gonzalez Vega from Pexels

Of Course!

Stare at me, as you always do,
judge as you always do,
measure me in all the small capacities
you can but I will not be affected,
and I will not even let you know that I am not…

I don’t expect you to know
my battles, my pain,
my insecurities, my leftover sanity,
my ego melted into self-respect,
my self-respect shattered into hollowness,
No, I seriously don’t,
But if you can, if you really can,
do take those eyes off me,
that keep doubting and make me
even unsure of my most determined
decisions, I request not command
to let me be, and take my beliefs
to turn them into reality…

But somehow I can sense, you won’t change,
and hence I am forced to tell you in your face,
I am standing up for myself,
and it’s none of your business…

 

More poetry by me and 50+ others, join us at From The Poet’s Heart.

Originally published in A Cornered Gurl via Medium.