I Cry by Joanne Grana

Photo by Juan Pablo Arenas from Pexels

I Cry

by Joanne Grana

I cry when I am happy.
I cry when I'm sad.
I cry when someone makes me mad.
Tears born from frustration.
Tears born from fear.

I cry watching commercials.
Hallmarks are the best.
Christmas and Valentine's.
I am a mess.

I cry over words said to me.
Words that are hurtful and cruel.
I cry when I say hurtful words too.
Words should be a creative tool.

I cry over holiday traditions that are no more.
I must accept that the holidays will never be as they were before.

I cry over the aides who won't talk to me. 
I wish I could just let them be. 

Drama Queen. Yep. Guess that's me. I would rather be labeled differently.

I try to keep my tears at bay. But they break free. They pour from my eyes like a waterfall. 

Crying is cleansing, it's healing. That's no lie.

I hope I never get too old to cry.

Only strong people cry. That's what they say, people who've been through a lot.
People who need a break. People not afraid to show their emotions.

I'll have a good cry.
Wipe my eyes.
Blow my nose.

I am ready to begin again.
I am ready to face whatever curve my life throws.

***

Joanne is a St. Louis author, blogger and activist She has spent years championing disability rights. Her blog, Confessions of a Disabled Diva, tackles topics as diverse as Donald Trump, Cher, disability advocacy and more. Joanne is the author of the children’s book, “The Busy World of Bianca Bear.” She was the first severely disabled student to receive a master’s degree from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, and currently she maintains a blog that centers on issues facing the disabled community.

Joanne’s blog: Confessions of a Disabled Diva

Click to fInd Joanne on Facebook

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My Dear Pirate by Maya Griffin

This week’s artist we’re featuring is writer, actress, and model, Maya Griffin. I came to know Maya the same way I’ve come to know so many lovely people this past year, through the making of Murder Creek. Maya plays Good Samaritan 2 in the film. More on that once the film has been released!

For now, please enjoy this lovely poem from Maya, called My Dear Pirate. Don’t forget to leave a comment for her when you’re finished!

***

My Dear Pirate

by Maya Griffin

My dear pirate I will wait
for thee,
I will gaze for your ship
across the sea.

Longingly I wait for you
on the sand,
And feel our love, where
I stand.

My dear pirate we were
meant to be,
We will find a way, for
you mean much to me.

And even if it weren’t
by design,
I would still recall your
eyes in mine.

My dear pirate I will wait
for thee,
I will dream for our love
that sets us free.

We express our love when
we can,
So we sail together, hand
in hand.

***

Currently enrolled in Genesee Community College for a general studies degree, Maya has done modeling and photo shoots for various colleges on the side, and has been in one short film. She enjoys theatre, various types of art forms, and being surrounded in nature.

Click to Find Maya on Facebook

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TOMORROW'S LOVE by Molly Farber

This week’s Artist Corner feature comes from writer and bad-luck-traveler, Molly Farber. It is a slam poem called TOMORROW’S LOVE.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for Molly when you’re finished reading!

TOMORROW’S LOVE

By Molly Farber

They call it love. 

There is a satisfaction when our bones crack. That’s why we flex our knuckles, why we break into chuckles, turn and twist our neck and back. It feels good. It feels tight. 

I call it love. 

There is a similar reaction when our hair stands on end. There is a course of shame, maybe a force of blame, then all that’s left is to pretend. And even then, it’s just as it should. It feels right. 

Would you call it love?

There is a space in our soft spoken heart, that when it fits into place, can’t be broken apart. It bends and extends like the hair on our skin, nearly glistening, and paired with power, wants to let someone in. 

Maybe a moment. 

If only for a moment. Imagine love were not an act. It could be perceivable, not so inconceivable, a downright fact. 

As tangible as art and as present as tomorrow. What I wouldn’t give to let love borrow my heart.

***

Hi, I’m Molly! I always get phrases wrong, I love listening to Sia, and I have terrible luck when traveling, but I can do a mean Christopher Walken impression and apparently when I laugh at myself I sound rich!

This photo is from a time when I was drunk and happy in London! 🍷

Click to Find Molly on Facebook

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Exposure by Terri Skurzewski

This week’s Artist Corner feature is a writing piece from author, Terri Skurzewski. It is a short story called Exposure.

Exposure

The man was very tall, and a lot older than me.
He was…
I responded to his smile. It made me feel special.
(At home, everything I’d ever done fell short of Dad’s expectations. You see, he wanted a boy, but I came first.)
I was trying to sell $1.00 candy bars, a fundraiser for my softball team. It would take high sales to win the softball mitt I needed.
I was innocent, naive
He was neither of those things.
He knew what he wanted.
He was…
When he reached down between my legs and touched me, I panicked.
I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew it was a bad thing.
I ran.
He was…
I turned to see him across the street, standing behind the plate glass of the classroom window, his pants dropped, his hand stroking himself.
He was a predator.

***

Terri resides in a small rural community outside Buffalo, NY and is a member of several writers groups (SCBWI, BNCWI, and Writers Helping Writers). A retired secretary, she fills her days by writing in multiple genres, reading, gardening, and crafting. She authored My First Call (Pilcrow & Dagger, Sept. 2015), and co-authored No Stoppin’ This Boppin’ - Let The Good Times Roll.

Terri is a wife, mother, and grandmother whose favorite exercise program is Tai Chi. She also loves sponge candy (a Buffalo specialty) and Turtles (the confectionary not the animal).

Her newest hobby of movie background acting has been most interesting and enjoyable.

Contact her at Terri.Skurzewski@gmail.com.