Chasing, pacing, racing
Only in my dreams
I want so bad to see them come true
But I haven’t come to terms with seeing it thru my desires and wants take second stage
To the battle that is everyday
Someday I hope I can make them happen
Glory day, I hope and pray for my time to come
Though It lasts just a second
And then it ends…
it’s already written
Steady as I go
Inspiration pouring out my soul
Mind and body collide
Heart and soul coincide
Fact and fiction divide
Making you feel alive
Sometimes I get real
I kneel and pray to a god not yet saved
Steal and pay for the next day
You’ll find a way
Just stay, don’t run
It could way a ton
My thoughts exactly
Don’t beg just ask me
I’ll stay till the light burns out
Be quiet and listen to your first decision
Be quiet and run for the day is done
Another quest tomorrow will avenge sorrow
It’s that time of year again to embrace you with an open heart. A lot of your fans are ready to devour you. Good memories of you flood my brain and give me happy thoughts. I’m eager to make more memories of you this holiday season with turkey, stuffing, candy yams, macaroni & cheese, and mixed vegetables.
Like biscuits with honey or cereal with milk, you and those foods work well together. You all are The Avengers of Food. Touching souls and hearts during the holidays. This is the perfect time for you with so much negative news consuming the world.
I believe cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving/Christmas can stop the wars that give the Earth sleepless nights. Maybe instead of sending money/resources, Congress should send lots of cranberry sauce cans overseas. That with some warm holiday food could take the blues away for good. One can only hope.
In the meantime, typing words and hoping they can help turn the negative tide will continue to be the game plan for now, and Thanksgiving/Christmas food with cranberry sauce.
What am I most thankful for
I’m thankful for my children. They’re grown now and they are both healthy, smart and inquisitive. They brighten my day.
I’m thankful I’m alive to witness everything in life My goal is to learn from my mistakes and I’m thankful I have coping skills.
I don’t have much but I’m thankful I have a roof over my head.
I’m thankful I have helped others. I’m thankful I can take constructive criticism and I’m able to endure it.
I’m thankful to have a sister, that’s about all the family I have.
I’m thankful for my job and the ability to be able to work with injuries and mental illness, I persevere. I have been in situations where I shouldn’t be alive but I’m thankful that I am.
I’m thankful that I can see the leaves on the trees change.
I’m thankful I can breathe, though I don’t have a range
My life has been hard It’s been marred by sadness and violence but I’ve remained silenced.
Danielle, It sounds like despite hardships there is so much good in your life and there are many reasons to be thankful. You are strong and resilient. You should be so proud and thankful for your spirit in addition to everything that you named. Thank you for sharing this piece and thank you for being part of The Unsealed. <3 Lauren
The dim sky takes over my room
Giving it a feeling of gloom
A thunderstorm must be on the way
And to keep the sunny skies far away
But the sun looks like it’s still alive
The usual bright blue sky barely thrives
The sky in its own way is calling me
To make me see what it wants me to see
The odd-looking sun is working hard to set itself free
But is surrounded by a legion of clouds
That roared loud and proud
I forgot the eclipse rules
Never look up without the tool
That’ll keep your eyes safe
and from being baked
My eyes remain alive
From the beautiful view that made me smile inside
I wish I had seen the ring of fire in its full glory
But at least there’s another eclipse I can add to my life story.
These are not my legs,
I’m watching myself from above
I wonder…
Are those mine
I can’t feel them, holy christ!
I can see them
My brains scrambled,
Astral projection, dmt and me
I can see,
Try to be me.
I have questions.
MS? Nerve damage? Poor circulation?
Or are you in a “floating” phase right now?
Fun Fact: I too like taking pictures of my feet but it’s because I like my shoes.
You should paint something on your boots.
Last night, I didn’t sleep well, as I had several nightmares. I was haunted by the endless images I saw in the news: A young woman’s naked, lifeless, unconscious (possibly deceased) body being paraded around as a trophy after Hamas attacked young people at a music festival in Israel, a 25-year-old woman begging for her life as she was taken as a hostage and babies whose faces were covered in dust and blood from the bombs thrown near their homes.
When I awoke this morning, I immediately read the news to see the latest. And while the horror continues on the other side of the world, I was also disheartened to learn that hate was just outside my doorstep.
People at rallies down the street from where I slept last night are wearing, holding, and celebrating images of swastikas and promoting anti-semitic rhetoric. For the first time in my life, I was and am scared to be Jewish.
While I have been doing my best to educate myself through the news, friends, and online resources, I am not going to sit here and pretend I fully understand the conflict between Palestine and Israel – because I don’t. And I know that it’s natural and easy to see the world through the lens of my own experiences and identity.
However, we all, myself included, should see and feel our humanity reflected in every person on this planet. And act accordingly.
As I try to process these last few days, the violence happening in the Middle East is not just about me, or any one group of people or politics. This cruel attack on innocent people is about all of us. It is a threat to all of humanity.
No child, no person, whether they share my background or not, whether Palestinian or Israeli (or any other culture, race, or religion), deserves to live or die in such an inhumane way.
There are a lot of issues we can’t and won’t agree on in this world. But we universally should believe in and tirelessly advocate for love, compassion, and peace for all people.
And sadly, right now, that’s not the case.
I am scared and heartbroken as I pray for the victims of violence, our world, and humanity.
I’m at a loss for words to describe the depths of evil for these murders of innocent people. I can’t comprehend humans committing these acts against other humans. Why with all the prayers that happen worldwide daily do things like this even happen? Please stay safe from these protests and God help the Middle East with everything you have.
Advocating for pushing beyond your
Comfort zone is easy, it’s just words.
Applying it to yourself is hard and requires
A dauntless temperament that’s bolder
Than your fear, that binds your actions.
As an introvert who bottles up her
Emotions and fears, confronting
Anyone who’s hurt me has a severe
Strain over me, anxiety flourishing,
Sweating, combing through vocabulary that Never,
Ever seems to fit, and always has
The possibility of being misinterpreted
As my clarity of thought comes
With pen, paper, thoughts processed
Slowly for the least hurt possible attained.
Consequences of words spoken
Can’t easily be taken back, and they happen
To have a lingering effect that’s unspoken!
Aww Malak – Never be afraid to use your voice – whether it be with a pen or a microphone. You are a strong and beautiful person, the world deserves to see your heart. Keep pushing yourself. You got this. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of The Unsealed. <3 Lauren
I’m all alone walking and I’m stoned feel the night rise behind my back I’ve got a flashlight but it’s still black
I think it’s lack of comprehension but I’m not sure there’s no simple way that I can cure the tension
Intervention, still alone hanging by a thread on the edge of the world
Oh, did I forget to mention
My dear you’ve gone to far
It was a slight intention by
Regression, back to basics
Stay to listen to my submission
While I revise my inclination.
My mind is mine, I love it so.
My time is timed, wish it would go slow
The bind is tight though I see the light
Intervening capsules of life defy the integrity of thought.
Insignificance has brought a rapture upon all that is lost.
Danielle, Your words beautifully capture the complex nature of the mind and the passage of time. The struggle between the desire for slow moments and the rushing reality is relatable. The interplay of thoughts and the sense of insignificance can be overwhelming, but remember that even in the chaos, there is always a glimmer of light and hope. Keep…read more
Hey you!
I wanted to let you know you are doing a great job in your life. Your getting things done and making things happening for yourself, kicking ass and taking names. Your mother and father are still together which is endearing and you sister is going to college, you have the best relationship with her.
You’ve went to school as well what a feat! You graduated and became a forensic psychologist, and look at your body it is amazing, What have you been doing!?
How are your kiddos doing? They must be getting big. Your son has also been to college, he’s a great kid! Your daughter what a beautiful young lady she’s 13 now and made high honors in school.
You are so lucky,You have no family drama…
Danielle, Your mom and dad raised you right, You’re a great mom yourself. always tending to your children making sure they have everything they need. The farm house you live in is gorgeous, and it’s so emaculate how do you do it all and keep it together without losing your sanity, You’ve always been a patient person so that’s not hard to believe. I wish I had The luck you have, always winning on the lottery, man… you have it made!
Danielle! I love this! You have such a strong sense of what will and does give you peace in life. I can feel the warmth of home in your writing. Your life will unfold as you plan, I just know it. It is all in your control. Your heart will guide you. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of The Unsealed family. Happy Holidays! <3 Lauren
To a local bar we went with the intention of having a drink and blowing off some steam. at this point in time I was at the end of a bad relationship, and could have never imagined what lye await that night.
We walked in took a left and sat down. As we watched the bar stools like hawks, I noticed this good looking man out of the corner of my eye. At the time I didn’t pay much attention to him, just a good looking guy right? Except there was something,
Some seats finally opened up at the bar and Michelle and I took our rightful seats, ordered a drink and the night began… Getting up to use the bathroom after two or three drinks, I came back to take my seat once again, low and behold he (The good looking guy from earlier) had the nerve to take my seat. Me feeling a little tipsy and ballsy decided to tap on his shoulder and give him a peace of mind because at that point I was not in the mood to play this game, I couldn’t believe this guy
He turned to me and with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, he exclaimed he was sorry and gave me my seat back like a gentleman. I was impressed to say the least, But still just chalked it up to some bar banter. I’m not going to lie though my heart did begin to race a little, it was that feeling again But why was I feeling this with someone I just met we hadn’t even really talked what was I thinking, so we talk some more and suddenly we began kissing… God it was awesome I couldn’t stop myself it was like I released my body into his and everything fell into place exactly how it should have, it was like a storybook it felt amazing.
So here I am in a bar with my friend kissing a man I never met before, but it felt so right, so good. This kissing went on for a good hour and a half, this was in front of everyone in the bar and I could have given a shit less…then
it was time to go like someone blowing out of flame when it gets too tall, so we exchanged numbers and I left simple as that you say? (Oh no no no) certainly not. I Get in the car and knew I made a huge mistake, I needed to have him with me. If I didn’t act fast I might never see him again I told my friend this, she told me “go get him!”… so I ran back in as fast as I could. Was I wrong? was I making a mistake? was this a bad move? was he going to turn me down? who knows… I’m just going to do it. So I get up the nerve to run back in I spot him and I grab his arm and lead him to my car, he came! holy crap! he went with it! thank God!
What was I supposed to do now I had no idea, so I just went with it. We dropped Michelle off and went back to get his car, he asked me if I smoked I said I did, so we engaged in a bowl. It was awesome I finally had someone to smoke with. It was so relaxing and mellow to be hanging out with him He’s amazing, how did this happen?
Nowadays he’s the love of my life, I couldn’t have asked for anything more out of that one night at the bar.
Wow! What a cool story ! Good on you that you went back in the bar and got him. The regret you would have felt by wondering “what would have happened”? is the worst. The “what if?” is a terrible feeling. Way to go Danielle. 😊
Hi Danielle. This is really good. Simple. Yet a few words can tell a total story sometimes. Very creative. Very nice to meet you. Hope you have a wonderful weekend
Thanks Jim! Figured I’d bring it back to the basics I remember writing these when I was in school when they first started teaching us about poetry I hope you enjoy reading some of my stuff!
Heyyyyy 🙂
Im gonna read more for sure. That one I responded to hit home cuz my brother (way more creative than me) did two of those many years ago for my mom and dad. Basics, as you say. But says a lot. Eclectic? Daring ? Nice. Help me out tho. Neoteric? What’s that?
Hello all!
My name is Danielle and I’ve been writing since I was 10 yrs old “not professionally” But for me, for my sanity for me to understand me! for me to understand other people and for me to make sense of the world. It’s something that always came natural when there was trauma in my life. somewhere I could hide from everything and hear myself out loud.
I think it’s the people who have a hard time getting their emotions out verbally in the presence of others, that make the best writers!
I’ve been inside out and upside down in my own head, It can be really scary sometimes and it can be very endearing at others.
I will end it with one of my favorite quotes from One of my favorite authors,
“I was not proud of what I had learned, but I never doubted that it was worth knowing.”
Hunter s. Thompson
I started writing young as a way to express myself as well. You remind me a little of @bakerdeandrea94icloud-com You should check out some of her writing!
Dear Gerald,
If there’s one lesson you’ve learned in all the years you’ve been on this Earth, is that you were worthy of respect all along.
You knew deep inside your heart since you were little that you desired to be respected like a lot of your peers, family members, teachers, celebrities, and authority figures who you saw had a lot of respect, like the Reverends and Pastors you grew up watching preaching in a few Baptist churches.
But respect was rare in your early journey. Not a lot of people shared your deep belief that you were worthy of respect. You were undermined, dismissed, and belittled just for existing how you wanted to exist.
That soft-spoken sensitive soul just wanted to enjoy being comfortable in his own skin. But the troublemakers refuse to let that happen.
These experiences of disrespect created doubt & inner demons that you would wrestle with throughout your teens and early 20s, while you tried to figure out who you were and where you fit in a microwave world.
The inner demons desperately wanted to take you out and celebrate victory. But, something made you keep fighting, because you didn’t want them to win the war.
Today in 2023, you still stand, feeling stronger than ever. Plus, you can say without hesitation that not only are you worthy of respect, but that anything less than the respect you expect is unacceptable.
The disrespect you’ve endured throughout your life taught you that respect for self is imperative - because without it, other people will disrespect you if they have the chance to.
You’re worthy of respect because you’ve always strived to be a respectable person in a sincere way. The road wasn’t easy to achieve that. But you went through the fire to know what’s acceptable and what’s not when it comes to how you want people to treat you.
You give people a chance to show why they should be respected and to see if you should respect them. If they failed the test, then they failed your class.
You’ve learned repeatedly that respect should flow both ways between two people (or more) who appreciate each other. If respect is only flowing one way, the person who isn’t being respected must demonstrate self-love by removing themselves completely from that person.
It can be a challenge at times to say that we’re worthy of respect if we rarely receive respect from others. But when we have people who care about us and show us how respect for ourselves should look, we can say what’s true in our hearts, that we’re worthy of respect too.
Aww Gerald, I love this. Your softness is one of your best qualities. Never think that is or was a bad thing. Your soul is so pure with all sorts of goodness, and I am so glad you have started to realize your own greatness. You are a gift to everyone who knows you and this world. Never forget that. Thank you for being you and being part of The…read more
I appreciate your touching words, Lauren as always. Thank you for creating the Unsealed and for having me be a part of it. It’s a great gift to the world. <3 Gerald
Hi there, Gerald. Aiša here. Thank you for sharing about your journey to self-respect. I came here to say that existing how you want to exist is hard! I commend you for your dedication to doing so and ultimately, your dedication to self.
“[…] respect for self is imperative […]” indeed. You certainly don’t need it, but you have my respect, Gerald. 🙂
Hi Aisa. My pleasure! I agree, existing how you want to exist is hard work. It helps to have those that encourage us to exist how we want to. I appreciate your respect, Aisa. Respect back to you. 🙂
When we talk about those we have lost it doesn’t have to mean someone has died physically, rather someone you have lost connection with or someone that decided to leave you mentally.
I chose this topic because this relationship that I no longer have with my mother has impacted me greatly in my life,
This was not my decision by any means but people have different reasons for things that they do.
I have not seen heard or talked to my mother in 27 years it seems like a travesty but in actuality it’s probably a good thing.
A little backstory:
My mother has always been into hard drugs as long as I can remember I remember crawling on the floor through needles in my diapers and I remember the (tax man) she called him coming to her house a couple times a week with a briefcase. God only knows what was in that briefcase. As I grew up I remember my mother getting taken out on a stretcher by the ambulance and police for what I have no idea I was probably about 6 years old, My mother had a lot of mental health issues along with the drug use, My grandmother ended up sectioning her a few times I can remember bringing her to the hospital and watching her fight, kick, punch and bite The orderlies it took five to assist in getting hurt tied down in the bed so she wouldn’t hurt anyone for herself anymore. Know that I’m grown and I look back at these instances on baffled at how a mother can let her child see and hear and witness all of these things at such a young age it breaks my heart but I’ve learned to cope. I don’t think you can ever cope fully to a situation like this flashbacks always happen for me I have PTSD and night terrors about things that used to happen I remember being woken up at 2:00 in the morning when I was 5 to be told that we had to get out of the house and go live somewhere else (We were living with my mother’s boyfriend at the time)
This happened on a number of occasions with different men. I went to a new school every year back and forth to my mom and dad’s never had a stable place.
I do feel bad for her she missed out on so much of her life as well as mine But I do not feel bad taking my sanity back and getting myself well. Like they say when you’re at the bottom of the barrel there’s no where else to go but up so you just got to keep trucking everybody has their own faults and decisions that they have to make. I do believe drugs obviously have a hand in all of this but I don’t believe that she didn’t have the option not to get involved with it those are our own decisions to make and the path we choose does impact others and to not think of it that way is selfish. For my sake in my kids sake I chose to break the ties with her she scares me And I don’t want my kids to ever feel like I did around her so they also have never met her. I feel like I want to miss her but I also feel like that’s letting my guard down and I’m so hyper-sensitive to not becoming her I know I’m not her and I know I don’t make these decisions that she makes and I know that I love my children and would never put them in harm’s way I just can’t wrap my head around The situation still I’m 41 years old now and I’m not involved in heavy drugs I do what I need to do to survive and I’ve got a pretty level-head on my shoulders so I guess I can thank her for that, but as for showing me how to be a mother I will take the credit for that
With all this in mind I guess the lesson learned is no one to walk away when you’re getting into deep your mental health is not worth it and the detrimental aftermath it does to everybody else
So again I’d like to say goodbye to my mother. that part of my life is over thank God.
Danielle,
Such a beautiful thing to be vulnerable! I can relate on so many levels the grief a mother can bring. I also had a mother who was on hard drugs, cared more about herself than her own innocent child. It is such a loss for the one who cannot fulfill the duty placed onto their path. The strength this can give us, seeing the light is the…read more
Wow. What a great letter. Sorry you had it rough like that. What an unbelievable strength you have. To stay true to yourself and not let your guard down. I can’t imagine the courage it required to say goodbye like that. You seem like a really strong girl Danielle
‘Who’s worthy of respect?’ Asks the
Oh so gentle soul. ‘Me, perhaps?’
Replying tentatively, I question whether
The ‘me’ others see is laudable with my
Honesty, diplomatically voiced,
Yet still encases my faith, ethics, and friendship.
Offering an ear, a hug, a friend, a listener
Free of malice and judgment, that’s never a jeer.
Resounding devotion can never
End, as long as your true self reverberates
Soulfully within a frequency received by
Peers and kin who feel the same.
Enter into the ring to battle out the
Captivating desires leading you astray
To a world where your worth is bound by trends.
Respect is earned, respect is learned
I was not respected as a child, for a while
But have learned to endure and persevere through It all
I don’t know when to stop And that’s probably helped me along the way through my journey that I was given. Everyone is at Liberty to be respected as well as me. I’ve been writing since I was 11 about my trials and tribulations through this hype and mediocrity of life.
I’ve given my life to this world and hope I have inspired some. I’ve been there done that, that’s fact
I’ve saved a life, made a life and gave a life
I’ve caved in and stayed in throughout it all.
Everyone deserves to be respected and I finally acknowledged that I deserve it too.
I’m not a cocky person by any means but I believe I’m a good writer because I write from the heart and stay true to myself. I’m honest when I write And I hope it inspires others because you all inspire me!
Danielle, I was always told the best writing is writing that comes from the heart. I love this piece. It really shows how soft your heart is — even thought you have been through so much that could have easily hardened you. This is beautiful and you are beautiful. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of The Unsealed family. <3 Lauren
The night’s fading darkness
Is illuminated by filaments that glimmers
With piercing reddish hues
Into a horizon of fading darkened blues.
With each touch of brilliant, glinting light
The scenery is transformed, bright
As a white pigeon in heightened flight,
Soaring, like Icarus, too near the sun’s slight
Heat that tenderly caresses its feathery
Wings across all living things, bravely
Broaching the new day optimistically,
Knowing that man’s destruction will invariably
Alter the breathtaking beauty of sunrise,
Twisting its vibrancy into shades
Of tenebrous grey, colorless, and lifeless,
As everything becomes hopeless.
Let each new day be your oath
To be stronger than the sun’s breadth,
As you emulate its depth
Of strength, that reigns above all in stealth.
Malak, I love this part: Let each new day be your oath
To be stronger than the sun’s breadth,
As you emulate its depth
Of strength, that reigns above all in stealth.
Check out our newsletter today. I will feature a link to this poem.
It’s been over a week since you all flew to a place very few have had an opportunity to see in person. Space! It’s well-known and mysterious at the same time, because of the places we don’t know that’s out there.
The morning I had the privilege to see you all take that incredible ride into space, It started off as a typical morning. I turned my tv and went to CBS News because that channel gives me comfort. Plus I really like the reporters they have on that channel. They do an outstanding job of covering news.
When CBS News came up, it showed two reporters talking as usual about a current event that happened.A few minutes later, CBS showed your ship and your crew about to take off in space. I was so excited to see what was going on with you and the people you would be taking along for the ride.
The crew members look so calm going up high in the sky. I was excited but nervous for them as I watch them rise up, like a person who had just discovered high self-esteem. When the tourists started to float out of their seats, I couldn’t believe it. I had seen that happen in so many movies on space. But to see it happen for real was surreal to me.
When you reach out in the space, I was thrilled like the tourists and couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Seeing Earth like it looks in science books was too much for me. Seeing that bright light that looked like the sun made an already unreal experience even more unreal to me.
”Space is real. Earth how it looks in various pictures is real. The sun is real too. Floating in space is real also”, I thought.
I would get nervous, hoping that nothing bad would happen to you all being up there in space. Thankfully, you all would eventually landed back on Earth a couple minutes later.
If I was feeling various emotions from watching your flight experience, I can’t imagine what it must of felt like to actually live the experience. So thank you for giving me (and others who watched it) a taste of the space life.
Aww Gerald, What a nice piece. Going into space does seem so cool yet so scary, Thank you for sharing your experience/perspective. As I do all your pieces, I love this! <3 Lauren
Thank you, Lauren. Yeah, going to space looks so exciting but scary because of the flight. My pleasure. I’m glad you loved my pieces and this one too! I appreciate it very much. <3 Gerald