By Nia Centre, p
Posted on April 9, 2021
The following post was originally published in Cry Magazine in partnership with Nia Centre. Through the mentorship of Author and Ghostwriter Kern Carter, emerging writers in Creative Connect learned how to effectively pitch their story ideas and creatively expressed themselves through the power of writing. Selected participants were commissioned by Cry Magazine and got their article published on their site.
By Helen Akey
On valentine’s day,
Human Love rejected me
Just on their own time
Not mine
For the 14th time
And I am still fine
But I never thought
That my poems
Get rejected too
Just on their time
Not mine
My hand and pen
Would argue for the
14th time
Agreeing we got it right
But,
We were left
In a room where no was the
Echo to our inner thoughts
I began to have self-talks
On why and how I am
Not good enough
That maybe, my poems should
Be left on a page and available
For everyone to read
At their own time
Not mine
Because my clock is different
And so are their minds
What’s worse,
the pen being bitter
Or the artist being tense
Or your hands getting
Cramps
Regardless,
Don’t let Mr.No think you
Are afraid of them.
Instead of
Picking up the pieces
They broke inside you,
Identify the pieces that are still
Within you
There are days, months and years
I write
I write
I write
Until my ink starts to fade
But it doesn’t mean it’s time to evaporate,
You just need a moment to retrace
And continue your creative pathway
The doorbell rang —
“Welcome, we were expecting you.”
Said,
Ms.Yes
Helen Akey is an upcoming poet and creative writer. She's a third-year student at York University, studying Culture and Expression. As a young girl, Helen would journal everything that was happening in her life as a form of therapy. In Grade 12, spoken word artist and activist, Faduma Mohamed, introduced her to poetry and different performance styles to further express physical, mental, and emotional journeys. As Helen continuously gains exposure and guidance from others in the field of creative writing, she would like to share her knowledge, skills, and stories with future generations to inspire and encourage them to use their voice and speak their truth as they navigate in their journey of life⎼⎼openly.
Follow Helen on Instagram.
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