Woke up in a daze not feeling like I wanted to go to work. I attempted to call out. Talked to my boss it was a definite NO, I need you come in… Uhg so I did. feeling bad about leaving my boss hangin I strolled in to work every thing was fine just as it should be. I set up and took my first client.second, third and so on and so forth, I noticed a boy and his mother walk in and sit down. The mother was called by the stylist the sat up front probably about 11 or 12 I would say… All of the sudden out of the corner of my eye I see him grabbing his throat and trying to cough. Without even a thought or a memory of how I got from.here to there it was like an outer body experience watching from above myself in motion attending and defending this little boys will to live. It was crazy, each thrust I felt his body get tighter it seemed like forever I was giving the heimlich maneuver. I’ll tell ya… it wasn’t “I hope” this thing. Comes out it was “going to” come out…. And it did the boy with a blue hue had a natural color to him again.
thank you to who ever what ever that was that came over me the boy started to cough just as the EMTs arrived I stepped a way. They were all clapping, my boss was crying and shaking as was I. My boss pulled me out back to talk she was like how, why if you took the day off…. I just glad you were here today.
The mother of the boy however was beyond her self gave me a hug asked how could she ever repay me for saving the boy I said to her… Him being
alive and breathing is payment enough.
This is my memorable moment….
Lauren it was unimaginable the timing the fact that my boss wouldn’t let me call out It was truly a unbelievable experience I don’t think of myself as a hero though….I just did what my body led me to do It was surreal there was one other time when there was a boy drowning in Western Mass and I happened to look down and saw him doing the dead…read more
Hi Lauren I had a question for you and wasn’t sure how to message you directly but been thinking about writing a memoir for years now not quite sure how to do it or if I could get sponsored by someone to actually publish it wondering how that works thanks
Hey! We’ve done a few shows on it. Once you write the transcript, you have to format it (you can hire someone on Upwork for whatever price range you want). You also need an isbn which you can buy on https://www.myidentifiers.com/. After that you need a cover. Amazon can create one with AI for free, or you can make one on canva with the dimensions…read more
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
I often fall into bouts of deep melancholy and sadness when I think about my life prior to coming out. I’ve learned that expressing my feelings immediately through poetry prevents me from sliding into a longer state of depression. I write, I cry, and I liberate the feelings from my mind. This has helped me so much over the last two years, it has literally saved my life.
Yesterday it happened again, and here is the result of my catharsis as I thought about my partner and all he has brought into my life. Thank you.
Thank you, Lauren…it’s one of my favorites I’ve written. I was trying to figure out why kissing your loved one is so important as compared to simply saying the repetitive and tired “I love you”. You can’t lie with a kiss 😉
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
Ricardo, your poem was creative by including multiple-choice answers. It gave the reader a chance to make a choice, which I appreciate. Thank you for sharing your work.
Yes. I completely understand. I thrive nonverbally through performing poetry, but it is very challenging for me to write it. I tell people…God gives me the words. I share the message.
I have extreme difficulty expressing my emotions verbally, but poetry frees me in a way nothing else can. I haven’t done a live read yet, but it’s something I am looking forward to (when I muster up the courage 🙂
Oh my goodness. I absolutely love this. This made me smile. What a beautiful, loving, thoughtful, and happy poem. Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us and thank you for being part of our Unsealed family. <3 Lauren
I wrote this poem for my son during a very difficult time last year when he was suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts. Luckily my ex-wife and I (over-re)acted quickly and sought him counseling and medical treatment. Thankfully, today he is stable and thriving in his first year of college…but I will always be vigilant of the signs should they manifest again. I guess the moral of my take is to be vigilant of your child’s mental health and to not be afraid to go overboard with seeking professional help for them. False alarms are better than emergency sirens.
Your heartfelt poem resonates deeply, reaching out with the raw emotions of a parent’s love and concern. Your words paint a vivid portrait of the fear and profound love that accompany the journey of parenting, especially during the toughest of times.
I hear the echoes of your anguish, the silent cries of a soul teetering on the edge of despair.…read more
Thank you Shelly! I had fun writing this one and was inspired by a school art project my son did where he had to make a collage portrait using images of flowers and fruit. LOL. He did a great job.
I wrote this on the tarmac of my local airport as I witnessed my 16 year old son take his first solo flight. He didn’t even have a drivers license, yet he strapped into the cockpit of a single engine plane and piloting towards the runway. I felt helpless, proud, scared to death, and wanting to run behind his plane all at once. After what felt like a heart stopping forever, he skillfully landed the plane and taxied in. This moment will always be surreal and magical for me.
AIRBORNE
You sail across the mid-day sky
The wind upon my sullen face
You climb to heights unseen
I feel weightless
Like a feather tossed along by the playful wind
My mind is blank, like sterile moonlight
Your heart is warm, like the velvety morning sun
I feel helpless and hopeful
You are falling, drifting, gliding across the open horizon
I can move and love, freely
You can feel all of Earth beneath your unmarred feet
I hold the Universe across my fragile shoulders
And the silence roars into my ears
Along with the bristling of my every hair
The windy tears dry upon my sunburnt cheeks
You are weightless, drifting, soaring
And after seconds that seem like fragments of eternity
Please for give the grammatical errors in my little prologue…I was so excited to post from my phone, that I didn’t even proofread! Is there a way to edit posts? Oh well…I’ll slow down next time 🙂
Ricardo, your letter is amazing! It’s a reminder to look beyond appearances and value the qualities that truly define a person. Let us strive to develop inner beauty, for that is what truly lasts and leaves a lasting effect. Your words inspire us to focus on personal growth and the beauty that shines from within.
Hello Ricardo,
I can really relate to your words as a mother of 2 grown children. Those days when they were little and they were with me 24/7 were wonderful!
awww this is so incredibly sweet. I hope having your son’s back, and seeing all of his wonder, reminds you of your own power and greatness. Don’t let the hardships in life ever weigh down your “branches.” This poem is truly beautiful. your son is lucky to have you. Also, want to share this with @rickwrites — feel like he’d appreciate this piece!
Thank you, again, Lauren. My son is such a beautiful, gentle soul. He also, unfortunately, inherited a propensity for depression and anxiety. Thankfully, he is doing well and flourishing today. I also wrote a similar poem for my daughter, which I will post shortly. The last two years I wrote hundreds of poems as a way to manage my coming out as…read more
First off, I love the picture of the dog. Secondly, this poem is really powerful and deep. I think the magic of writing is that when you feel alone, your writing, your mind, can keep you company. Thank you for sharing <3 Lauren
Thank you, Lauren. Your response made me cry, because I wrote this at a very difficult time in my life. The picture is of my little buddie, Tango Bleu. He, and writing poetry therapeutically, saved me from my darkest moments. I really appreciate your acknowledgement and response.
Ricardo!!!! This line is everything!! “The sickness is yours and not mine at all
I’m perfectly splendid, I’ll fly and not fall”
Keep flying. Be who you are. Do what makes you happy. I have something I call a Circle of Peace. You disrupt my peace, you leave the circle. Anyone who has a problem with who you love or how you love should be rem…read more
Thank you so much, Lauren. This was one of the first poems I had ever written as I struggled with coming out. Self-acceptance is something we all battle, but I realized it’s not me (us/anyone) that needs changing…it’s the outside world’s views that need adjustment. All anyone wants is simple acceptance. ❤️
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.