Give up, never!
The challenges of life give greater
Satisfaction when struggling to overcome them.
Give up, never!
Through war planes, attacker
On our land, as my partner is an army officer.
Give up, never!
Through financial strains, being a mother,
Teacher, student, niece, aunt, cousin, daughter…
With duties and love to give as worries grow stronger.
Give up, never!
Going through bowl obstruction surgeries, recover
From that alone is like moving through quick sand, a surfer
Of intense pain, stilted, limited movements that border
On the robotic before getting better.
Give up, never!
Immigrating at fourty plus is no simple matter,
With two teens and two adults to give succor
As the cultural, geographical, and familial reservoir
Dwindles and altered to an extreme purveyor
Of loss as we embrace newer circumstances in horror.
Give up, never!
Through each trial, the sun does shine brighter
And belief that you’re being tested makes me stronger.
Here we are
22 years later
We smile, show teeth
The glow is upon our face
In the mirror
We no longer critique ourselves so negatively
We see a perception of time that is you
Recognizing Beauty
To finally accept us
You Love You
This is the woman you’ve longed to become
Our soul is at peace
Subconsciously we can hear the joys of a no longer battle
With our Competing Minds
Within Loving me we feel alive
You notice when you love you that you feel everything ten times better
From The wind you hear ruffling through the trees
To the stars you see at night shines brighter than ever before
You laugh so effortlessly
You let yourself be loved
Inside you have this feeling of light
Light that is not hiding behind the shadows of reject, loss of self respect
No dim light in sight
Opinions have no effect if negative, you take it like a grain of salt
It’s okay if they leave, we let them
& Leva ( Live)
Our beauty, Our Love within continues to grow , to prosper
A Muse a perception of me of true harmony
Can you hear the angels singing?
Our skin tinglingly
Our hair growing
Our crown showing
Here lies me
Coming out of the shadows
Using voice of reason
Understanding loving within & what it means to be loved
A magnificent thing loving you is
How it can make you hear the birds chirping around you
The sun shining on you
It’s a bliss
A reality
We are now
Present &
I Accept me
I truly love me
Vision! This is beautiful!! I am so glad your soul is at peace and you are able to see, embrace, and appreciate all the wonderful things that make you, you. The sun is truly shining on you and you are an absolute gem. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of our Unsealed family. <3 Lauren
The world runs around and bucks you
Of your trajectory with minutiea that drive you
Up a wall, and down into darkness which blinds
Your senses that either gives adrenaline or freezes
You into a statue that’s blind, deaf, and dumb.
Your vision turns into bright starts that short-
Circuit your mind with blinding light whose sport
Is to suppress your logic, embracing emotions
That turn you deaf to all evidence against your passions.
Those then steal your ability to speak your mind.
As the world moves round and round, like a merry
Go round, so do you try to stave off the shocks that ferry
You into dismay as experiences are disillusioningly
Petrifying, with their obstacles and demands
On your taking a stand outside your comfort zones.
Stay the course.
Stand tall.
Savor each experience.
Strengthen your faith with failure or success.
Sever negative relationships,
And let your self-confidence emerge
A snow white pigeon of peace and verve of life.
You’re Confident
You’re Beautiful
You’re Loving
You’re Kind
This beautiful heart that has developed
To care about individuals as much as you do
The confidence you truly found in you
I’m proud and love the woman I’ve become
It took me a long time to get here
You’re a queen
You’re a goddess
You are it
No one can take this away from you
You made it Vision
You love you
You don’t doubt yourself anymore
You believe in you
I love who you have grown into
A true Vision of Love
If i say what is on my mind
Will i be heard
Will it show on my face before my mouth says anything
If i express it
Should i
Will i regret it if i come out with it
The flashbacks are coming out
I can’t hide it anymore
It will release me
Get the burden off my shoulders
I see it still hurts me to think about
A moment where i truly felt weak and helpless
No means no right
Why did he do that
I trusted him
He was supposed to be my best friend
Stop please i said
I don’t want to do this i said
My words meant nothing
I tried to fight him
I wasn’t strong enough
He’s hurting me
As i am crying saying please stop stop
No
No
When he finished i was bleeding
He took it from me without my consent
I balled up in a ball told him to get out
Fucking Leave
The audacity to ask me if i am okay
No i am not okay
You Took advantage of me
You took something i can’t get back
I’ve never been the one to cry for help
I held it in
My emotions
My feelings
Everything
Feeling of embarrassment
How could i let it happen
I had no control
I need to scream it out
I have to Let it not anger me anymore
I have to tell my mom
So i can feel free &
Live in peace
Will it hurt as much
As it does now
Am i overreacting
Am i being dramatic
Or am i just expressing how i feel inside
Should i be penalized for feeling this way
Vision, Your pain and emotions are valid. It’s important to express how you feel and seek support from those who care about you. Don’t doubt yourself or feel guilty for sharing your truth. You deserve to be heard, understood, and supported. Take the necessary steps to heal and find peace. You are not alone in this journey.
I sit up,
Look up,
Firing my appreciation
To God, in whose contemplation,
Veneration, I’m engrossed
In my thanks to all that
I’ve got, that’s on the spot:
Family to love and cherish,
Kin to pray and think of me as I perish,
Friends who’ll miss my presence,
As our discussions cover matters that hence
Ruminate over social changes
Trending through social media’s
Imposing pressure over all genders
And age groups who surrenders
Their freedom to bondage
Of our sovereignty over our charge:
Our immortal soul, whose barred
From its morality, replaced
By being led to sins that destroy
Your connection to the All Mighty. A ploy,
To reduce believers that rebel against sins of immorality.
Malak, there is so much depth and power in your poetry. You are so insightful. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of The Unsealed family. <3 Lauren
Even now sometimes i have my moments
Moments where i feel like
I’m gonna fall apart
Can’t let it consume me
Let it go
Breathe just breathe
You’ve come so far
To go back
I know it hurts
You cry when you don’t want to
It’s trying to release
He’s gone
Your dad is gone
In the wind
You severely question
How can he not love you
Not be there for their for you
To still have breath in your lungs
But alas be gone
I never thought you would leave me again father
Why don’t you want me
When i am made up of half of your DNA
I can’t even say i hate you
I Love you Dad
But i have to let you go
You abandoned me
Came back
Left again
Came Back
Left again
Why come if you never intended to stay
Leave
You can’t be the reason
Theirs’s no peace
I will always love you
I have to live
To explore
Without a painful memory of you
Here is our long distance goodbye
Vision, I am so sorry to hear about your relationship with your dad. Please know it is not you. You are so easy to love. The problem is most likely that your father doesn’t love himself. When you don’t love yourself, it makes it harder to face others. Don’t let his shortcomings bring you down. You are light. You are loved. And you have and will…read more
Endless Smiles
Heart unbroken
Life looking up for you
Looking at the girl of your dreams
Doing what you love
Writing more
It’s your passion
Spread your voice
Let them hear you
It’s okay
Don’t be scared anymore
To let it show how talented you are
Express
I’m sure it’ll have them impressed
But again you’re not doing it for them
You write for you
It brings such joy
Puts an instant smile on your face
Lets Embrace
No more hiding in the shadows
This is our year to show who we really are
Not what others want to believe
Protect your peace
Go with the flow
Let it be
We are truly smiling again
“Don’t be scared anymore
To let it show how talented you are
Express
I’m sure it’ll have them impressed”
You have already impressed so many. Keep writing and living for you. And keep smiling. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of The Unsealed family. <3 Lauren
The moment i locked my eyes on yours
It felt like magic
An instant connection
All we did was smile at one another
We knew what it was
It was
Love at first sight
For the first time in my life
I felt a feeling i haven’t felt before
It’s not the same old saying
Oh i like her cause she’s different from the rest
No
It’s a feeling where my heart beats a million beats a minute
It’s pounding out my chest to the
Sound of your voice
By the way you look at me
Your intellectual mind
Your touching soul
Your glowing smile
How big you heart is
Mi amor i truly am thankful for you
And all you do
You show me you love me
That you care
You have my heart
I wish to not part
To this special woman i love
I’ve fallen in love
You make my life worth while
You take my away from my reality
Only you are not a dream my love
You are real and true
I get lost in you
I never thought it was gonna be like this
Such a bliss
You amaze me
This is true
Baby soon you’ll know it’s true
How grateful i am for you
I’ll express how i feel
To show you what i feel is real
Vision, this piece feels magical. It is such a beautiful reminder of the magic of love, connection, and destiny. You are so lucky to have experienced such a sweet and magical love. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being such a big part of our Unsealed family. <3 Lauren
My best self is truly joyful
Not letting the little things bother
Live with ease
Proceed with caution
Not everyone has pure intentions
Stop giving to those whom don’t give back
Don’t Stress on situations you can’t control
Be you
No matter what
Don’t let anyone change the woman you have become
You’ve come such a long way
Through pain in the past
To get you where you are now
You are Poet
You are a Singer
You are a true writer
Here’s to sharing your story with the world
Using your words and melody
Smiling even though you’re hurting
This growth i see
This Vision
Our Journey is here
It’s Ours
Patience is key
Persistence is needed
Be Consistent
You are no longer distant
You are me
We are one
Us as one will become
Everything we dreamed of
In time we will see
What it takes to
Express me
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.
Please don’t go away
Please don’t go away from me
Don’t hurt me
I thought you loved me
Show me
Don’t walk away
Why won’t you stay
I love you
Can’t you see
You’re Everything to me
Why leave me
To confuse me
You made my heart believe you
Truly loved me
What did i do to deserve this
You hurt me
Why
All i ever did was love you
Hold, Squeeze you hoping you’d dream of peace and harmony
We were supposed to grow together
Now we are apart
I never knew
You’d be the one
To Break My Heart
Aww I have totally felt like this in my life before. In the moment, it is so excruciatingly painful and confusing. But in my situations, time not only helped me heal but it also helped me see why these situations were not meant for me. In the meantime, keep putting one foot in front of the other. Do things that make you feel good: workout, yoga,…read more
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
‘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.
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.
Did you know the NFL’s Ryan Grant also participated in basketball and track and field during his time at Don Bosco Prep School in New Jersey? Did you know the NBA’s Adonal Foyle still holds the record in New York for most points in a high school tournament game? Did you know former Suffern High School girls’ lacrosse star Crysti Foote is a member of the Canadian National Team and is recognized as one of the best female players in the world? Inspired by the commitment and passion all great athletes demonstrate, I know both the technicalities of sports and interesting facts about the athletes themselves, which is why I believe if I become a reporter for MSG Varsity I will be a powerful conduit between the athletes and the tri-state community. I will ask questions the viewers want to know and receive honest answers from athletes who respect my knowledge.
My confidence in my future success is based on the achievements of my past as well as my present occupation. As a young 21-year-old college graduate, I began writing for NBA.com and WNBA.com. With my own swagger, I entered NBA and WNBA locker rooms to interview athletes double my size among journalists twice my age. Publishing hundreds of articles and blogs on NBA.com, WNBA.com, D-league.com, NikeWomen.com, and WomensProSoccer.com, I have also had my fair share of on-air opportunities. Currently, I am a co-host for On the Mike With Mike Sherman, a weekly entertainment, lifestyle, and sports show that airs on a CBS affiliate (My33) in South Florida. Last season, when the 49ers took on the Giants in New Jersey, I was there to interview athletes and report back on the night’s events for CBS’ San Francisco affiliate. I have reported local news on Long Island and worked as a sports reporter for Artsis Media, where I shot, edited, wrote, and produced all my own stories.
Throughout my tenure at Columbia University, I majored in sociology and focused on the sociological impact of sports. Through my 40-plus page senior thesis, I discovered that to have longevity and acceptance as a female sports reporter, you must be a sports connoisseur yourself. Voted biggest jock in my high school senior superlatives, I have lived, breathed, and loved sports throughout my life. I believe if given a chance I will be recognized and respected by the sports world for telling compelling stories and conducting in-depth thought-provoking interviews. In other words, I’m a talented young recruit with an All-American future and would love to help the MSG Varsity team work its way to the top of the game.
Wow that’s awesome! You wrote for the NBA and WNBA!!This letter is a huge inspiration because I want to do podcasting and interview sports players and artists.
The lion lays quietly atop an overhanging hill.
He waits, watches in the vain fervor that his prey
Will come to him in deadly night like a diet pill
That will stop his hunger and permit his teeth to stay
Sharp, glistening white, creating a shiver of fear
Of their ferocity and ability to tear apart an arm,
Or important extremities that flash their spear
Of speed trying to outrun the King.
The atmosphere of fear is so authentic
That I can feel the lion’s eyes shifting silently,
Watching guardedly, waiting patiently to pounce happily
On his unsuspecting prey. His jaws are cave like
In their imposing strength and force of bite.
This piece is so creative. You are so talented. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of our little family. Keep writing. You are changing the world. <3 Lauren
This weekend, I was standing on top of a hill with a fortress and a lighthouse that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea in a small beach town in Spain called Tossa De Mer. It was absolutely breathtaking. And I never even heard of this place before we arrived. All I could think was, “How in the world did I get here?”
Flashback five years ago, I was at a job in Ohio, and I was not particularly happy for many reasons. Guided by a strong intuition (and maybe my misery as well), I left my career as a sportscaster to start my own company, theunsealed.com. We are a platform that allows people to share personal stories in an effort to use writing to transform pain into power. If you know me, you know The Unsealed fuels my soul. It makes me excited to wake up in the morning and fills my life with meaning and purpose. For the first three years after starting my company, I worked every single day – most of the time, ten hours a day. No vacations. No days off. And I was perfectly happy doing so.
Personally, I have always enjoyed dating and the attention that comes with it, but after two very serious relationships in my early and mid-twenties, for a long time, I didn’t want anything serious. I always feared that a relationship would and could hold me back, especially when I was a sportscaster, and I didn’t know what city or what job would be next. However, as I became more certain that The Unsealed was what I wanted to do and could do with my life, I became cautiously more open to the idea of a partnership.
Then, after the pandemic, my brother sent me an online flyer for an event. It was called Miami Tech Night; a networking event held every Wednesday in Miami for people who work in tech. My brother thought it would be a great opportunity for me to meet people in my industry. So, as I usually do, I followed my brother’s advice. It was maybe my second or third time attending when this tall, handsome man approached me and asked me what I did for a living. I happily told him, and then he shared a little bit about his career. As we chatted more and more, he revealed that he had started a successful online business in his 20s and sold it. I was impressed, intrigued, and inspired. He invited me to my favorite taco spot down the street to continue the conversation after the event. We quickly realized we had similar interests and family values.
From there, we started spending time together almost daily. Every week seemed to get better and better. So, one day, about three months into our relationship, I suggested getting away from Miami for a few weeks during the summer. Summers are so hot, muggy, and humid in Miami. I proposed L.A., and he said he has wanted for a while to take this massive three-month trip to Europe. He asked if I would be willing to come along. In theory, it sounded amazing, but I needed to work! Plus, leaving my dog for that long would not be easy for me.
My parents agreed to watch my dog, and my boyfriend promised me I could work as much as I wanted on the trip. He’s been where I am, so he gets it. I agreed to go, and for the first time maybe ever, I am figuring out how to have a work-life balance, waking up early to work before we go out for an excursion, and finding cafes in every city to continue to put in at least eight hours every weekday. Instead of resenting me, my boyfriend pushes me to wake up early and goes to play tennis when he doesn’t have his own work to get done.
At night and on the weekends, when we have time, we have the most incredible experiences exploring the world together, visiting castles in Portugal, wandering the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, and getting lost in the public transportation system somewhere in Europe (super grateful to the restaurant owner who called us a taxi).
There is no way if you told me five years ago I would be here right now, I would believe you. But as I sit in a cafe in Spain and reflect, I realize I don’t know exactly where my life is headed, but I do know how I got where I am right now. And that is by personally and professionally following my heart.
With love,
Lauren
P.S. Special shoutout to my boyfriend – thank you for believing in me, pushing me, loving me, and inspiring me. And thank you for speaking three languages. We certainly would get far more lost otherwise!
I love this story. This inspires me to hold onto faith and to let things happen on its own. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful story. I’m happy you were able to balance work and travel.
Lauren!!! I love this line “I don’t know exactly where my life is headed, but I do know how I got where I am right now. And that is by personally and professionally following my heart.” It’s exactly the space I’m in where life can be so mysterious. While that can be unsettling there is hope in knowing that by following our dreams and what we l…read more
This is why I am making the world my workplace for the summer
As a kid, I was adventurous, riding rollercoasters at age five, going on a plane by myself at seven, and willing to travel just about anywhere up through my college years. I am not sure if it was the pandemic or the tragedies we see daily in the news, or maybe just me getting older, but somehow, along my journey, my fearless spirit began to fade.
In April, my boyfriend (of just a few months at the time) proposed a trip of a lifetime, three months of traveling all over Europe while working remotely. In theory, it sounded amazing. I went to Europe in my teens and early 20s and loved it. But three months is a long time away from my family and dog, and Europe feels so distant from home. I was scared to go.
Nonetheless, knowing how much my boyfriend wanted to travel and how wonderful an opportunity and privilege this trip truly is, I agreed to go with him. However, during the three weeks leading up to the trip, I had two separate back spasms/herniated discs, and, for the first time in my life, I fainted and hit my head pretty hard. Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe not. But I definitely felt very anxious.
Once we made it to our apartment in Barcelona, Spain, I felt slightly more at ease. So far, we’ve walked for miles and miles along the beach, not knowing where we were going or what we wanted to do. We’ve tried delicious food that was possibly worth the ensuing stomachache. And I have attempted to speak and understand a language I do not know. All the while, my boyfriend and I are beginning to learn more about each other’s quirks as we fully live together for the first time.
As I sit here writing in a cafe in Barcelona, eating new food, working on The Unsealed, and listening to various languages in a city I don’t know very well at all, I am now hopeful that getting a little lost in this world will help me find a part of myself that I thought was long gone.
To be able to travel all over the world is super cool and It’s a great thing that you’ve got you traveling mojo back and that you’re traveling with the one you love. Thank you for sharing
Lauren I am so grateful to have seen your letter. As a young woman that desperately wants to travel but didn’t even go away for school it comforts me in so many ways to see you pushing past your fears and learning how to live in a way that’s such a genuine experience. I pray that soon I’ll be able to tell my own version of this story and I hope to…read more
A Labyrinth of life and living
Flies by with the passing minutes,
Striving to leave imprints,
That are positive in their fleeting
Flight, that they can’t be bound.
Imprisoned by labels, categories,
Races, and groups that astound
In their versatility, but not humanities.
I’ve lived in this labyrinth of life,
Where negativity was the succor
Given by some of my entourage, that’s rife
With jealousy, bias, and is a bereaver.
They suck out the optimism and
Joy of life out of each stupendous second,
That you fear drowing in the labyrinth
Of fiery destruction that steals your breath.
Instead, let the minutia of the labyrinth
Turn into an adventurous life in stealth.
Your poem captures the nature of life’s difficulties and the struggle to find positivity during the confusion. The metaphor of the labyrinth is very effective in conveying the sense of being lost.