Kern Carter's Blog, page 104
September 18, 2021
September 17, 2021
i shape my words to fit in: the market asks me to
Photo by Ilona Panych on Unsplashit’s the era
where shallow
eats meaning, where
happy eats the sad, where
hedonism eats the hapless. where
my words are reviewed as pretentious, where
literature’s been branded as a language of snobs, where
my love for words is dismissed as unimportant for genre.
write so that your words reach the masses, everyone says.
as if the masses are only confined to read what’s deemed
mindless — why are we letting that happen? why’s every
teenager confined to the realms of the market, where
love & sex takes height? am I not important if I’m
not a girl? am I not important if sexual attraction
never seeped into my head? am I not important
if loving, to me, looks different?
tell me, how much should I sell
my identity to find myself a
place? tell me, do I feel too
much? am I too sad to be
successful? does happiness
make money, and sadness
only mockery? tell me, will
I ever be wanted? will I ever fit?
Mittu Ravi writes poetry, short stories, and opinionated essays on the writing life and industry. Find more of their work and their socials here .
i shape my words to fit in: the market asks me to was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Pair of Geese
When I ached and hurtbled poetry, dreamedthe yearnings of fake plastic trees.
Editor Picks—Favourite Posts On CRY Last Week
Image by Orlando Florin RosuWe’re back again with another round of Editor Picks. Let us know if you like this series. We got a really good response the first time we did it so we figured why not keep it going.
These are posts from the week of September 6–12. Each CRY Editor will choose their favourite piece and share why they connected with it. Sound good? Here we go!
Kern
This was a tough one and I really want to choose three or four pieces, but there’s one post that feels special to me. When Athena Milios submitted Thriving As A Highly Sensitive Person Starts With Radical Acceptance, I really didn’t know what I was in for. Then when the piece started off with poetry, it was over. I was hooked.
Athena has a gift for blending science with the majestic. And not only does she explain what HSPs are, she gives strategies on how they can cope. It’s really brilliant. In her own words:
“Firstly, HSPs (and those around them) must start with radically accepting their sensitivities. Sensitivity should be treated as a difference but NOT as a defect!”
KB
I gotta say…the poetry submissions keep getting better and better. Every morning that I get to wake up and read your submissions, I feel immensely grateful to be exposed to such a range of raw creativity. I really appreciate ya’ll for submitting your work. Let’s keep it rolling and grow together!
My favourite poetry piece from last week has got to be, My Take on the Bitter and Oh, So Sweet Daily Game of Our Lives, by Teresa Young. I love when writers are able to tie personal experiences to collective experiences and in this piece, Teresa gives us an enlightening perspective on the beauty of human life that comes from finding balance & meaning in the juxtapositions.
In her own words:
We live
in a vortex of chaotic light,
like fires blazing in the night,
fueled by the truth
that the full house
of the great card game of our lives
includes ecstasy and despair….
Safia
In his piece “How fear kept my creativity in the dark”, I enjoyed how Charlie Cole described the hidden struggle that many creatives face with such transparency. Sharing your writing with the public can be scary as hell. Charlie’s piece provides a reflective and relatable account of his journey toward finally giving himself permission to be seen through his art. In his words:
Creation has always been synonymous with vulnerability for me. Photography, painting, writing, are all things that bring me joy, but more importantly, they bring me alive. I have always struggled to share my writing with anyone, even myself at times.
Editor Picks—Favourite Posts On CRY Last Week was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
September 16, 2021
Starbucks Dream
Photo by Nadine Shaabana on UnsplashI’ll have a Caramel Frappuccino,
make that with extra caramel and extra whipped cream to fulfill my Starbucks dream.
A few added calories mean today I order tall.
Convincing myself my extra added confessions are nothing more than, caffeine's affection,
addictive connections,
mental erections,
I'm awake now.
Ya, extra is what I am having today,
although one might say,
our wants become our needs,
our likes turn into greed,
from this we plant seeds,
of poison.
You see yesterday I ordered a venti nice and large,
vanilla bean with soy milk,
because that's what healthy means…right.
Cravings so sincere,
feelings so dear,
motive unclear.
I convince myself that by getting a bigger size I can quench and fulfill those needs,
one slurp,
two slurps,
till it's gone.
I'm full yet it still didn't feed…me.
And so that’s why today I’m having a Caramel Frappuccino,
with extra caramel and extra whipped cream,
to fulfill my Starbucks dream.
Too often have I held back because of guilty pleasures,
society exposing my secret endeavors,
or because he changes his mind as to what is beautiful like the weather.
But I’m here to say,
that I’m no longer running away.
That I’m accepting these feelings that are here to stay,
because I’ve made up my mind and extra is what I’m having today!
I’m trading my Caramel Frappuccino with some confidence for me though,
and that extra caramel,
replace it with some extra care,
and instead of whipped cream,
I’ll have a double shot of self-esteem.
But what you don’t know or cannot see,
is that my Starbucks passion,
my Starbucks lover,
my Starbucks dream,
is only a reflection of me.
Starbucks Dream was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
