Tag: The Blues

Young Minds of Medium Featured Writer: Nour

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Nour is an exceptional young one whom I have had the pleasure of watching grow on Medium. Over the last eight months, this young one has broken out of her shell and is sharing her life and experiences with us.

She answered the Young Minds of Medium “How Do You Sing The Blues” challenge for A Cornered Gurl with the following prose-poem:

Just keep breathin’

Young Minds of Medium “Blues Call”

Hasty outlets of yours truly over the years.

Tainted blue creeps in,
An armed looming shadow that threatens,
Look fiercely into its eyes, impassive
Let the ink embrace your heart, squeeze the venom out on paper,
Chase down freedom with your words.

It’s disarming.

How the story unfolds sometimes. So many lies embedded in between the lines and I foolishly believe. Destruction calling my bones for release of its pent up anger. Seeping its sorrow on my pages, adding lines. And my brain does nothing but smirk in approval, unwinding me to the core. Now all the chaos — thrown at my feet, no sealing to its mouth that keeps running.

I keep falling down.

Entirety is disarming sometimes.
Disapproval clawing its way in my mind,

Smitten by blues, add more salt to her wounds … if only you’ve done this. If only you were this …

Just stop. Press pause, go on rewind your tape and you’ll see where it starts:

All. In. Your. Fucking. Head.

I hold still for a moment. Let the truth sink in. So many inviting claws I struggle to dodge.

Oh, how it’s easier to fall into depression … but will you let in temptation?

And that’s how it starts. I breathe my screams out on paper, rewrite the story …

I change lines.

The claws are no longer inviting. ‘Cause no hunter falls for their prey.
The lies fade back to their dimension, this territory ain’t going to be stained.

I don’t pause. I keep going. Destruction no longer smirks.
Entirety could be disarming … unless between the lines you checked again.

Originally published via A Cornered Gurl on Medium.

Young Minds of Medium Featured Writer: Fatima Mohammed

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For the rest of this month and into the first two weeks of December, I will be featuring contributing writers who answered the Young Minds of Medium “How Do You Sing The Blues” submission call.

Fatima Mohammed is a recently added contributor to A Cornered Gurl and this challenge is what prompted her to reach out to me. I have selected her piece entitled, “Feel These Feelings” because that’s exactly what it makes a reader do–feel what she’s saying. This young one is making quite the name for herself on Medium by being expressive, raw, and brutally honest. And now, her featured work:

Feel These Feelings

Young Minds of Medium “Blues Call”

https://mixkit.co/@nxtantonia/

i stare at it,
it stares back.
all those feelings,
ignored and unacknowledged.
all those little nothings
piled up
to become this thing
staring back at me
from the mirror.

i raise a hand,
so does it.
i blink an eye,
it does the same.
it looks so much like me.
but with eyes devoid of joy;
lifeless.

i strike up a conversation.
ask why it’s here
looking at me with sad eyes.
it says it’s tired of being ignored.
it wants to be acknowledged.
i stare at it,
it stares back.
then the life-altering realisation hits me
with such an intensity.
this thing with sad eyes,
it’s me.

all the feelings i don’t feel,
i hide in a box in my mind;
pandora’s box.
it’s become so big,
it’s filled up every inch of me.
i’m the one with the sad eyes.

when i feel blue,
i don’t want to hide these feelings
in my attempt to be positive and optimistic.
if i do,
i’ll have those sad eyes forever;
lifeless.

so when i feel blue,
i choose to have those sad eyes.
only for a moment though.
to let go,
i allow myself
to bask in the sadness
to feel these feelings.

Originally published via A Cornered Gurl on Medium.

Young Minds of Medium

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*Submissions Call (I am posting this here as well, just in case any of the young ones are interested). 

How Do You Sing The Blues?

Supriya Bhonsle via Mixkit.co

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 November. 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: “How Do You Sing the Blues?”

What am I asking?

How do you handle moments of sadness? What do you do to ease your pain? Are there any favorite songs you listen to, any good books you read in which to escape? How do you move through the bad times that come in and try to take control of your life?

I am looking for:

•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 Blues Call” and tag your pieces with the following: “Growth” & “The Blues.” CHALLENGE SUBMISSION BEGINS NOW!

The start date for publishing the YMOM pieces is Friday, November 1, 2019, and the end date is Friday, November 29, 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.

Nod Your Head to Nas & Damian Marley|Patience

ACG Guidelines

Young people, this is the last challenge of the year for you — please, bring it!