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All Entries must be in by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 24th, 2024

Those moving on to the next round will be announced on July 1st, 2024

Voting will go from July 1st to July 30th (11:59 PM Eastern Time). *NO PRIZE FOR VOTES – VOTING JUST FOR FUN!

Member votes count 5x. Non-Member Votes Count 1x

Our Winners will be announced on August 1st, 2024.

First Place – selected by The Unsealed – $200

Second Place – Selected by The Unsealed – $50

Get published in a book

Read the  Challenge Rules Below before you enter. For your work to be considered to get published in one of our books, sign the release/consent form after you post your entry here (you will still own the copyright to your work).

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Please note that the purpose of our books is to celebrate our community and provide members of our community with an additional avenue to amplify their voices and perspectives. The book is meant to be inclusive, consisting of various writing levels and people of all walks of life. We are looking for pieces that share positive and inspiring messages.

CONTEST RULES

What

Are you finally in a healthy relationship or are you pursuing your dream career? The Unsealed wants to know. Write a poem or letter to yourself about what you love about this chapter of your life.

First Place – selected by The Unsealed – $200

Second Place – Selected by The Unsealed – $50

We will still have voting but no prize for voting for this contest

Member votes count 5x. Non-Member Votes Count 1x

Who

You must be over 18 and a member of The Unsealed Community. You can sign up for The Unsealed Here

*no relatives or employees on The Unsealed are permitted to enter

When

All Entries must be in by midnight on April 24th, 2024 Eastern Time

Those who qualify for the next round will be notified by July 1st.

Voting will go from July 1st to July 30th. Winners will be posted on August 1st.

Letter/Poem Requirements

  • Entries must be in English
  • They must be true story about your life
  • You must enter your poem or letter on our website
  • The letter/poem can’t mention anyone’s name except yourself (Example: you can call someone a friend, a neighbor, a teammate or a family member but you can’t call them by their name, John Smith)
  • The letter/poem must be original writing from the person submitting the letter (NO AI!)
  • The letter/poem must not have been published anywhere else
  • The letter/poem can’t can’t be defamatory toward another person
  • The letter/poem must be under 800 words
  • Only one entry per person
  • Include a headline for your letter and a photo that goes with your story

Rights

You will own the rights to your entry but by entering the contest you will give us permission/limited license to publish the letter and any pictures you provide on The Unsealed. You will also allow us to promote your entry on social media using your letter and the provided picture.

What the letters will be judged on

  • Organization that is logical and effective, is the poem easy to read and understand?
  • Creativity/originality, is there anything that makes this poem unique?
  • Message/insight – does the poem offer a clear and thoughtful message?
  • Impact/Inspirational – is the story powerful and inspirational?
  • Accurately addresses the topic

Good Luck!

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  • Windows to Heaven

    Title: Windows to Heaven
    Author: Kai Silvera
    ————————

    Have you ever looked into the eyes of a baby?
    It’s like looking through the windows to heaven,
    free and immune from anything dark.
    I stare into my son’s eyes as he latches onto me.

    Dinner is done.
    I’ve wrapped a plate in the fridge.
    I don’t recall leaving a little note this time.
    My son continues to feed,
    when suddenly the house gets tense,
    like it could sense the next thing coming.
    He storms in, ignoring my attempt to casually say:
    “Hey, how was your day?”.

    He walks past the tiny kitchen
    into the living room,
    and without a single word exchanged,
    I could tell how far gone he was.
    His hand touches my cheek
    in the way your mother warns you about.
    The kind of touch that stings
    and sends your head in the opposite direction
    of your feet.

    I stand still,
    stare back
    into those beautiful windows to heaven
    and try to make my next move strategic,
    as if such a thing is possible in a cloud of rage.
    You find yourself reassuring him that you’re just
    “going into the bedroom to finish feeding the baby”.

    He follows,
    and you try to diffuse the situation,
    but he has no windows to heaven.
    Instead he has dark tunnels now,
    that fuel the demons in which his tortured soul battles with every day.

    And just as you pray for the storm to settle,
    the room becomes smaller and smaller
    with objects flying all around.
    Gravity seems to slow down,
    and you ask yourself: “how in the world did I get here?”

    You think of those stories about moms
    lifting the car to save their child,
    and you stretch your five foot frame
    as wide as humanly possible
    to shield your angel from the dark.
    The dark you never saw coming,
    The dark you run from, weeks later,
    when he’s at work.

    You pack two black garbage bags
    worth of clothes,
    one for you
    and one for the kids.
    You travel just shy of a 100 miles
    to a foreign town
    with familiar, loving faces
    and start over.
    You take on a new life.
    You take back the reins.
    You feed your babies
    so much love
    to make up for any void.
    You show them it’s okay
    to reinvent yourself,
    to save yourself,
    to start over,
    again and again,
    as long as it takes you closer
    to where you belong.

    You make a home built on love,
    a place where the windows to heaven
    are never closed,
    only enlightened and encouraged
    to continue spreading the light.

    Photo context:
    Immediately after writing this today, I drove to get my daughter from school and this was the view. Felt symbolic, affirming.

    Thank you for your consideration. This piece came to me within 20 minutes – apparently it needed to be released on the page. Thank you for letting me share the most vulnerable time of my life with you. Grateful for this new chapter.

    All the best,
    Kai

    Kai Silvera

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Ocean’s Path

    in my 45th year
    not knowing where I was going
    the road just led me lawlessly
    i wanted the wide and easy path,
    to blend and be found
    not knowing where I was going
    i was pale versions of me
    brokenness was hard to shift through
    so much easier to just change my skin
    become someone who walks away versus stays and wins
    never been someone to take a stand
    never envisioned myself a winner
    always been the girl in the corner trying to be seen
    then one day
    everything changed
    broken and shipwrecked
    alone
    in a row of strangers
    i heard a call on my life
    like a lighthouse to the ship so cliché
    that’s how He found me
    in my tears I heard Him
    “Stop being blind. Take a stand. Seek life. You only have this chance…
    to understand.”
    He called me home
    my heart knew where my mind should be anchored
    focus is on His word
    my constant
    the God who gives grace
    the truest friend Ive always longed for
    the greatest Father to this lost daughter
    in this new chapter of where I’m going
    i see everything now
    through the eyes
    of a saved life
    the little girl is free
    she is who God chose her to be.
    in her 46th year

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Questions

    I’m actually running out of things to say
    Is something I’d never say
    Not now or anyday
    But anyways
    I been holding this in for many days
    See the heart works in many ways
    This blur in my mind ain’t just any phase
    Nd we all on go we not running any plays
    But I’m honestly tired been stressing many days
    Like what if I never find someone that stays?
    What if I never have a good job that pays?
    What if a crack addict attacked me with a bag of lays?
    These are just some that in my mind conveys
    But unlike others I see through the fog
    I got all of the Courage like the cowardly dog
    Believe me even if you can’t see far
    You’ll always have yourself and your a star ⭐️

    Charles Hye

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Bitter Sweet

    At the surprising age of 31,
    I sit in my sunroom, leaned back against my new chair at my old desk
    (The desk I found, when I was just 11)
    It is 9am and I have class
    As I settle in to the second course of my new future I look up to the late morning sun spilling through the east window
    I see my dear friend, my roommate Brinlee, sitting beside my plants
    Her own laptop and notebooks sprawled out around her
    We are taking on this new future together
    Call us co-creators
    We are just a minute late back from break, the decaf coffee she started in the french press still brewing
    As she turns and begins to slowly ground
    (the coffee that is) (our grounding is more or less sporadic)
    I breath in the deep, rich scent
    Here in this sun soaked room in early spring the smell hits me bitter-sweet
    No, I’m sorry I don’t mean melancholy
    I simply mean the coffee, bitter-sweet
    All of a sudden I am five years old, alongside my sister Lindsay
    We are small and quiet and standing in the kitchen of our favorite next door neighbor, Marnie
    She is tall with long blonde hair and earth-tan skin
    She holds the air of a woman I have never seen before
    She is nice, she offers us Peach-Os, pouring herself another cup of coffee
    Even now I remember that smell in that kitchen
    Like April sun touching earth in a deep amber stove
    I look up, up, up past her blonde halo to see the many wine bottles along the shelf
    The coffee, the wine, the tank top she is wearing, the boyfriend still asleep in her bed
    I have been told I should be afraid of these things.
    But there is something not yet tangible stirring inside of me
    Like the way it feels to close your eyes and listen, right up next to a honey bee
    Or the way the light cuts along water ripples, making real life sparkles
    dancing
    mesmerizing
    In this brief moment of memory, the light along the waves and the hum of the bee near my cheek returns
    This time with a sort of knowing
    I take in the scene again in front of me and realize in a start of gratitude where I sit now
    What I hold now
    The air of woman who, at the surprising age of 31
    Is living with her best friend
    And tending to her plants
    A woman who is putting on a tank top and walking back to her desk
    in a room full of light and art and books and letters and
    the smell of coffee
    You could say it is a simple thing but,
    I still, find it quite surprising

    Aubrey

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • There You are Again

    There You are Again.

    What can I say about this journey? A journey already taken and awakened by energy before me. A journey I didn’t count on, I had a different plight . With no consistency no boundaries and a purpose I thought had no purpose. So purposely I created a purpose. I did my manifestation as I waited to be awakened, By some form of Love that was often forsaken lied mostly adjacent and kept me in places with multiple faces. I digress! I stayed. I risked myself and my senses. I was totaled by life my soul was not dented! I immediately resented the life I was gifted. Fermented my powers in things I can’t mention. So what’s the intention? To live with out mention or die from suspension it’s crossed my mind. But my mind didn’t listen the voices persistent. I was 20 years into my plight. This is me reminiscing!

    As my journey continued, I found solace in self, And I reached out for help. No longer insecure of the cards I was dealt. I immediately felt healed. Not revived not renewed! Healed. When you lose you in others my fathers passing gave me a brother. After 43 years we now had each other. We laugh and we love it’s so pure to know myself through his eyes. They say it’s on the sparrow. But you’d be surprised. He gave me the strength to love me again because I can do all things, that’s how I knew I would win. Where I am now the days make more sense the time is daily. I stay in present tense. Love conquers me because I conquered love. Love of Self, Love of Self -Love of Self

    DePaul F Sanders

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • I Am Who I Am

    I am growing in places I didn’t even know was possible. Where I am from, people often get stuck. Mentally, financially or in whatever way possible. Stuck in time so much that people that know them from five years ago and people that know them from today know the same version of them. These people often repeat the same rhetoric: I am who I am. My biggest fear is being stuck. I have an amazing corporate job working for a technology company, but I want more. I have three degrees, but I want more. I crave progression in my life to a point that these thoughts invade my dreams. I don’t aspire to work up the ladder at the same job for twenty years or to stay at a job for the benefits and 401k. I don’t care about which insurance is offered or what discounts I can get through the company. I want more. I need more. I am meant for more. I love that in this chapter of my life I am not confined by my environment. I love that I am slowly breaking out of my shell. I will not lie and say I am not terrified to take that step. But what I know for certain is that I am not alone. The person that I was five years ago was too scared to walk, with goals that didn’t align with my soul. Now I am walking with God towards my purpose, open and ready to be molded into the person that I am meant to be – the person that lives in my dreams. I have grown from where I was and I refuse to walk backwards. I am who I am, but I am constantly getting better.

    kevya sims

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • THIS DECADES OF BEING 70+

    Dear Unsealed
    Today I look forward to my life.
    This decade I am 74 years old.
    Not sure but had lots of strife.
    So, I have been told.
    I can say today,
    As I relay or dream night and day
    Of younger days and love and heartache
    Of give and take,
    This decade of clicking the box,
    That says 70 +,
    Such a fuss.
    I am an elder with wisdom,
    About life and love,
    But somehow remain strong,
    With reason and rhyme
    Of space and time.
    This is a time when I should have respect
    From kid, grandkids, but
    It does not always happen as I have kept.
    Moving forward with time
    Books and computers all that
    I read, listen to music, write and all that.
    This period in my life
    I look back at relationships,
    Loves, marching for equality for all,
    And the concept of my fight for humanity
    Love, peace, and light,
    Are still not understood by certain people in my life.
    I thought by this time
    With reason and rhyme
    They would understand my strife,
    To create peace and love
    Blessed from up above.
    However, this is not so with certain people
    But now I am old
    I continue to be strong and bold.
    I toss specks of salt
    Over my right shoulder and left shoulder
    To send peace to all
    As I recall
    Without humanitarians as I am
    To tell folks it’s okay
    Today
    Tomorrow
    Any day
    I am to adventure to say
    I do it my way
    You do it your way.
    I live one day at a time,
    One moment at a time
    Of reason and rhyme.
    At 74 years old
    I am still for peace and love,
    Despite the folks who shut me down
    All around town
    I am woman.
    Here me roar!
    I have been down there on the floor,
    Still an embryo
    But I will be strong, progressive,
    To move forward in time
    With reason and rhyme
    I am considered to be an old lady.
    I can dye my hair pink.
    Or gold or red.
    Or whatever I choose,
    Its okay today

    VICKI L TRUSSELLI

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • I Am The Chapter

    Pending transactions, exemplified male tractions. I hold these truths to be self-evident, that I am the truth, the light, and the way. Mockery of self-gratification interrupts sensory.
    Sensory of convenience and stride, that pimped out momentum of pride. I have no doubt, that I can love me, forever, rings in the echoed frustrations of potential.
    Potent aids of expectations and security breaches. Unfiltered predictions and passed down sorrows and frictions. Demands of freedom on guard. Stagnant states of undreamt forward movement, projections of enduring.
    Endurance of setbacks and pain forgotten, for within victory I’m plotting. Plotting up a role beyond my own initiative. Do not expect less cause in this chapter, I announce recess. Air Bourne opinions, shape shifting emotional bonds and irrelevant feelings.
    Irrelevant feelings of acceptance and assurance for God is my rock. On a need-to-know basis redirects traffic, for I am the moderator, the innovator, and the headliner. I am the chapter.

    Telisha L Dennis
    Saturday-4/20/2024

    Telisha L Dennis

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • The Resilient Woman In Me

    Dear Heather,
    I have witnessed many heartaches and traumatic experiences in your life and still have to say thank you. Thank you for never giving in or giving up, you’re stronger than your circumstances and your worry. Death has tried to have you and has taken many that you loved dearly, but you have endured it all, beautifully. You still remain grateful and chose to spread love and joy to others everyday. Those constant whispers of despair, uncertainty and reminders of your past only motivate you to remain strong. Your vulnerability has never been your weakness, it’s always been your superpower and you’ve chosen to use that to help others in their time of need. I’m proud of you and you are exactly where and who you need to be and your life has purpose. Your are worth more than your mistakes, your mess has become your message and your tests in life is your testimony. Be happy, be strong and always be YOU!
    Love, Me

    Heather Sommermeyer

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Loving Me

    Love, Im loving me
    Done been through the rain and storms
    the whirling roller coasters with loopty loops
    making it out time and time again
    im loving me

    i’ve lost so much, including people I love
    pushing through to make it for my kids
    to make it for my husband
    to make it for myself
    Im loving me

    Im loving me so much
    that I am enjoying every aspect of my life
    and I look forward to overcoming these..
    trials and tribulations set to make me stronger
    because without them, i’d be weak
    im so loving me

    every time life happens
    my heart shatters just a bit more
    and every single time the pieces hit the floor
    I pick up the shards and put them back together
    because yes
    I am so loving me

    You see without the love I have for me
    I can’t love anything or anyone else
    We don’t know love
    unless we love ourselves
    so without the love I have for me
    I’d not know or have any for anyone
    so im lovin me

    in this crazy world we live in
    the things people go through
    love is the only thing I can give them
    and I need to love me too

    Toshiba Sullivan

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Is The Load I Carry

    “You can’t skip chapters that’s not how life works. You have to read every line meet every character. You will not enjoy all of it. Hell, some chapters will make you cry for weeks. You will read things you don’t want to read, you will have moments where you don’t want the pages to end. But you have to keep going. Stories keep the world revolving. Live yours, don’t miss out.”(Pillow Thoughts II). Life is like a book. Some chapters are sad, some are happy and some are exciting, but if you never turn the page, you will never know what the next chapter has in store for you. Treat me like your favorite book. And stroke my spine delicately. Remember my tiny details. And all your favorite parts. Read me again and again and fall in love with my story. I will not lose my worth in a spirit of a curse. I’m not afraid to break free from this pathetic message in the bottom of a weary verse. I’m tired of trying, it’s time to reverse.

    I’m weary of life but I won’t miss a single line
    Through the ups and downs, tired but never giving up. Fighting through the darkness, I won’t let life interrupt. Dreams fuel my fire, life’s interruptions won’t make me tire. I’ll soar above the chaos, won’t let life’s script be ruptured. Peace is a part of my soul and it’s a matter of conduct. Allow yourself to be so focused on living in peace, getting paid, and walking in purpose that you have no time to worry about people pleasing, pettiness, or irrelevant opinions. This is the part of my life where I silently remove myself from anyone who hurts me more than they love me, drains me more than they replenish me brings me more stress than they do peace and tries to stunt my growth rather than clap for it.” “I think that I have done more than enough talking and trying to make things work with certain people.” “I’m done.” -KL’s Page. It’s not about ego. Once I feel ignored or unwanted I distance myself silently. I’ll remove myself before I allow anger to consume me ever again. I like to love. I like to laugh. I like to be happy. So if I gotta distance myself to keep things that way, I will. Distance is what I usually appreciated and what I believe in. It makes the heart grow fonder. If cutting me off helps you in any way, I support it. It’s okay to walk away because they kept failing to listen. It’s okay to walk away when the excuses are far greater than the effort. It’s okay to walk away when the behavior has stayed the same, and the idea of change is just manipulation. It’s okay to walk away when they stop trying on purpose, while purposely denying. It’s okay to walk away when you’ve done everything you can to make things work and the result leaves you back where you started. I’ll soar like a comet, leaving old wounds departed. I won’t be broken, it’s time for me to be whole-hearted.

    Because I am not ashamed of what I am
    See that I avoid a chance and it gets hard to see my face when I see that I’ll shine brighter, being unleashed and uncharted. “After a while, I got tired of chasing after you.”“You made things so hard that I could never catch up.” “I was trying to force something that wasn’t there.” “It felt like I was begging for you to reciprocate the love I was giving when in reality, you never felt the same way I did.” “That’s when it clicked- could no longer beg you to love me or give me the attention I desired.” “So I took myself out of the equation, closed that chapter of my life, and started a new one.” “It was time for me to find the true love of my life that I had lost in the process of loving you.” -KL’s Page. The worst pain is having no contact with the person you’re still in love with, who at one point of time, sent you texts that would make your heart melt. And now, you can only love them in silence from a distance. Slowly being forced to close a chapter you never wanted to end. When someone hurts you, and then avoids you, that’s a clear sign that they know they messed up. not only do they know, but they’re uncomfortable with the fact that they did. They can’t even face themselves and their own behavior. don’t wait around for an apology from them. I’ll emerge anew, I won’t let their words condemn. So I will not worry. I will re-write my story and make them see what you had done to me. If you hate me, it would be like a dream. And I will never be lonely again. Sometimes I wonder why I’m starting over now and why am I cutting the knife.

    I’m weary of the lies, it’s time to cut ties. No more compromise. So I want to be alone and I need a new excuse to keep myself right. Because I know you will be back and I may miss you but I can’t try to rekindle broken flames that burned me every chance they received, so once I release the ashes of our past off into the wind, there’s no way we will recapture what we once had. Into the world to create what I cannot change. I am tired of playing this game. I will rise and re-arrange because every time I hear your name I get empty stomach pains because of your broken promises.

    “As one chapter of your life comes to a close, always be mindful of your surroundings.” “Remember, there’s always another journey waiting for you just around the corner, and it’s bound to exceed your wildest imagination and expectations.” -Maxwell Xavier-. What happened, has happened. Free your mind from it, you’re about to start a new chapter in your life. Accept this change and move on. I’ve turned the page, embracing life’s new chapter and stage. There has to be an ending for new beginnings, they are both also hard. Be grateful they both exist. I am. “I know you thought the breaking was the most painful chapter.” “It wasn’t.” “Turn the page.” “The next part is much longer. It’s the bealing. The rise.” “The comeback.” “It’s the birth of the new you.” “And it’s not easy.” “But you are strong and brave and worth it.”-Stephanie Bennett-Henry. I know this transformation is painful, but you’re not falling apart; you’re just falling into something different, with a new capacity to be beautiful. This chapter in my life is called: Knowing my worth & acting accordingly. No more settling for less, I know what I deserve. Through the weariness, I’ll rise and find what I deserve. After the long nights, I will find my rebirth because I was the only one who wanted to make things work. The truth is not absurd if it’s the last thing you feel going to hurt. Leaving behind the pain, on a brand new turf. I’ll dust off my dreams and make them shimmer with mirth. I’m focusing on me right now, I’ve done enough for everybody else. I’ll find my peace amidst the chaos and never lose myself. I’ll find a new path, discover the best version of myself in exchange for trouble and distractions. I will not be lost in the noise because I know you are a monster.

    The heart says I will find the right one and i’ll push away the truth someday when the sunshine comes, shedding my weary burdens.
    I’m just a kid trying to count my own funds.
    I feel alive when I think about taking that gamble cause the real thing will come.
    I will get myself back on the road two fronts.
    I will forget the way i’ve always felt but my frustrations are too much to be mugged
    You are so bad I haven’t felt this real however, I will not let you become another page I’m stumped on. It’s time to start a new chapter
    And anticipate my life in words. I don’t have faith in god so I keep carrying on and on and on. I will find the strength to keep believing, I would not be fleeting. In the end, he who has lost me will wonder who he’ll laugh with because I will become just another blur. It’s like a cake with no place or no meaning. I can’t wait until the day you doubt everything and regret that you left me.

    Tracie Sperling

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • My Own Volition

    Everyone’s so keen on giving their opinion
    When did it come to be I wasn’t living out of my own volition
    To ground when needed
    To explore when convenient
    I measure up to no one & not where I’m supposed to be
    I’m living life at a pace comfortable for me

    But sometimes we need a push or more so persuasion
    Perhaps it’s my stubbornness
    But if I wanted to be farther ahead
    My soul would’ve acknowledged submission
    Needing to hit the mark right from the start
    Perhaps it’s my perfectionism
    Regardless of the decision to stay or any attempts for challenges I face
    I try as I might & try is enough
    For when I succeed I know it’s because the weakest parts did not give up

    All else left to a biased perception
    But there’s no one better when it comes to my self reflection
    Matter of fact add criticism & progression
    The only thing I’m in competition with is my inner demons

    Not a requirement for one to stay
    But my story, my voice will be heard
    Not being rushed for the time I take
    Nothing left to interpretation
    Nothing left to be dismayed

    In another timeline it’s already set in stone
    Now in this current dimension my person has to find which way to go

    It’s through these setbacks & challenges
    I’m reminded why I’ve been given this life
    To live, to breath, to try as I might
    No matter when or how long it takes
    It’s only allowed for me to decide

    Jiselle Marquez

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Gentle Giant

    Gentle Giant

    Years of naive optimism
    Years of confusion
    Years of anger
    Transformed ashes into beauty

    This woman has grown in her empathy
    Grown In wisdom
    Grown in boundaries
    Created purpose out of the ashes

    She is a gentle giant

    Jasmine Murphy

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Little Big

    Little songs my mother sings midsentence randomly and out of key,
    Little birds swooping across my little purple flowered yard.

    Big burps my Big Little sister blurts out,
    Big orange lit sunset rays,

    Big trees swaying in
    Little waves of wind.

    rm

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • I Forgive You

    “I forgive you”
    I heard her say as I watched her open another box and fill it with all the evidence of the person she used to be.
    With tears in my eyes I responded with a simple “I’m sorry” and I watched her close the box she just filled and grab another empty one.

    I watched her change the last few months, where she was once timid and shy she became outspoken and strong willed. In moments she would back herself in a corner and cower in fear she stepped forward with fight in her eyes. She began fighting for herself. She started to see her worth and I knew she was outgrowing me so I stepped aside. My time with her was coming to end and I allowed it, because I care enough about her that I wanted to see her grow. I wanted to see her find her self worth and beauty all on her own. I knew I was just a stepping stone for her for be able to do that.

    We reminisced about the lifetimes before and all the roles she played trying to find her place in the world. Some of them were wonderful memories filled with laughter and late nights and exciting spontaneous adventures. Some of them were sad though, as she remembered all the times her light was dulled and she never felt like she was ever going to be enough. In the latter moments, I reminded her she’s not that person anymore and on this next adventure she’s going to learn so much more about herself.

    She started feeling sorry for herself as she thought about the friends that came and went, and the dreams she had that she never was able to make happen. Man she really had some wild big dreams, and they were beautiful to listen to her talk about and watch the spark in her eyes shimmer. I knew some of those dreams, if not all of them, were still very real for her. I reminded her that she’s very capable of making her dream life, that she was just starting a new path of self discovery which could very well be the path she needed to be on all along. To my surprise she agreed.

    As she looked back at me one more time she smiled, and we knew we’d never see each other again. With nothing but love and gratitude in our hearts for our time together, she walked away.

    She was gone, and I felt an overwhelming and confusing mixture of peace and fear. She was me, and I am her.. and I can’t wait to makere her proud. All I went through when I was “her” wasn’t for nothing. I forgive her.

    Stephenie Judith

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Chapter 29.7

    While this is the 29th chapter that has been written
    It’s the first of its kind.

    The others
    They’re full of marks and underlines

    Edits from others
    Rewrites from me, however everyone else wanted the character to be

    I began writing my story
    In 2022

    I wrote and I wrote
    motifs with new views

    Guardedly crafting every line
    I picked some new characters
    Tried out some new styles

    Had a litany of editors
    To re-read every other line

    This is chapter 29
    The first of its kind

    I’ve retired my editors
    Publish without a reread
    I’m not afraid of spelling errors
    Their a part of me

    If you don’t like my book
    You don’t have to read
    I write what I need

    This chapter is meaningful
    It;s authentically me.

    Crystal Frances

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • human, becoming

    Dear future Me,

    I’m so fucking excited to see you
    and be you—but I gotta say,
    being where I am—right here,
    and right now—is more than OK.

    I love that I’m learning to pray
    through pleasure and play.

    I love that I’m learning that in all ways, everything is working out for me always.

    I am trusting in the process
    and working with faith,
    finally proud of my progress
    enough to say:

    that doing the best I can,
    and trusting in a greater plan
    is really enough for me.

    I truly understand
    there is nothing greater than
    giving myself love—it makes me free.

    What I love most about
    this moment right now
    is that I’m recognizing how
    it all works out—
    what it’s all about:

    It’s so easy to truly See
    when I stop to breathe and Be.
    Despite conditions, I can stay free—
    by being me, unconditionally.

    Dominique Nesbitt

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • Who I am today

    I’ve been so many places, done so many things.
    I have made numerous mistakes, never quite reached perfection.
    I have been shallow, and vain, sarcastic, and condescending.
    I have hidden from the world, worked hard to avoid any real connection.
    But I’m growing… I am aware of my shortcomings.
    I diligently work toward being proud of my reflection.
    How I look, these days, isn’t my concern though.
    It is who I AM that matters to me now!
    How I treat others, the love that I show.
    Taking pride in my behavior, honoring every vow.
    I put forth effort these days, to be better, to nurture… to grow.
    I don’t throw words around that I don’t mean.
    I uphold integrity, and do my best to remain humble.
    I choose battles wisely, and always protect my peace.
    Hold myself accountable, show myself grace whenever I stumble.
    Life isn’t easy, but becomes more beautiful with each passing day.
    Today I choose to be completely clean and sober.
    I know that God has my back, He guides me along the way.
    When I see my reflection, I no longer abhor.
    I am proud of the person that I am today.
    I move different, always doing the next right thing.
    I say what I mean, and I mean all that I say.
    God brought to this place, and His praises, I will sing!
    I hope for the future, no longer regret the past.
    I am open to change, and stay willing to learn.
    From within, I’ve built a foundation to last.
    I work hard in rebuilding all the bridges that I once burned.
    I no longer have to hide my face due to all the shame.
    I can honestly say that I’m proud of who I have become.
    I know who I AM now, and I’m proud of myself today.
    The war may not be over, but every battle to date, has been won!

    Tiffany L C Mays

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • My love letter about me to you!

    My love letter about me to you!
    What I like about this chapter of my life is being honored to have my degrees and allowing my degrees to work with me as a full-time teacher! I want to say that I am in a wonderful time of my life! I am a wife, mother, mother in law and grandparent. I have raised three successful sons. I have been married for thirty-five years and am a proud mother-in-law and Granna of two beautiful girls!
    It has been a lot of work taking care of me and the life I am in. I was a hard worker all my life. I have worked since I was a teenager. I was a babysitter, worked for low-income youth programs, worked at a fashion store, retail factory and so on. I attended a college out of my home state but transferred back to my hometown. I kept attending college but took time out to get married and raise my sons as a stay-at-home mother. In the back of my mind, I always wanted to finish college. Well, I did go back part time juggling my last son between my family as his babysitter to help me out. I did substitute along the way once my older two sons became full time in elementary school.
    I ended up receiving not one but three degrees! I received my associate degree, then a bachelor’s degree which led to a master’s degree in early childhood. I say that to say this, my life went well and as intended, but with some detours, however, I completed a lifelong dream of receiving my college degree. I am proud of myself that with the help of my husband and family I completed my dream.
    Did I say it was easy? No, it was a lot of hard demands, time, disappointment, uncertainty at times, and exhausting with three sons. However, was it obtainable? Yes, as I finished the course my confidence increased because the light was at the end of the tunnel. Do not give up too fast or not at all if you can, just change course and find another dream to go after!
    To you, try to put your dreams out there so people can hear them, and to write them down so you have something to go by. Life will get busy and complicated as you age, but your dreams are still waiting for your return. Find someone or others who can encourage you to stick with your dream(s). Never give up the fight even if it is slow progress. My dream of getting my degree was a long one, and it took a lot of support, but I had to do the demanding work! You too will need to do challenging work as well! Do not get too discouraged but reach out to a loved one who has your back and work hard to make your dream come true! I believe in you, just as someone believed me! In fact, I had to believe in myself first before anyone believed in me! Go get your dream!! And you too will have the best time of your life!

    Angela Pinkins

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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  • HEY, GIRL !

    Hey girl
    I’m so proud of you even in this turned upside down world
    Your beautiful smile and beautiful curls
    Exudes your strength, uplifts other boys and girls
    Because right now your life is clearly in shambles
    But you make it look easy and always have it handled
    With God on your side
    Along with ancestors and angels
    Despite any hidden obstacles or unexpected angles
    This life is a strangle
    But you are so strong
    And when you’re ready to give up,
    You just keep trucking along
    Singing all your favorite songs
    You are clearly Unstoppable
    Just imagine yourself far away, somewhere tropical
    A Warrior, you are, you have an incredible story
    And in the midst of it all
    You keep giving God the glory
    I am so proud of you
    Girl, keep doing your thing
    So much is in store
    You are great in so many things
    There’s so much life will bring
    Regardless if it’s good or bad
    Keep embracing everything.

    La'Tiffany Rasmine

    Voting starts July 1, 2024 12:00am

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