Call for Poetry Submissions—Your Blessing Has Arrived. Now What?

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I’ve been in love with the song, ‘Benediction’ by August Alsina since I was about 15 years old. In his astounding and almost magical singing voice, he tells the story of losing his brother to violence and moving from a dark place of doing anything to survive to find higher ground, a place he always dreamed of.

The line I love most is:

“We were down from the beginning when the world wasn’t listening. Now that I got your attention, let us end with a benediction.”

Benediction is basically asking for Divine help — from whomever you believe in — speaking that blessing over yourself, and considering your blessing received.

All of us who have struggled hold a firm picture of what our benediction would look like.

It’s a blessing that could change our lives.

Heal our souls.

And help us become our best selves.

So, what would your benediction look like?

What would it do for your life?

And more importantly—what’s happens after you receive it?

A few new rules:Keep your submission to ~ 350 words max.Format the poem as it is meant to be readMake sure to put the “poetry” tag on your storyFocus on clarity — make sure your piece has a clear premise and takeawayThe same rules still apply:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.If you’re not a writer for CRY but would like to submit to this or any other prompt, let us know and we’ll add you ASAP. Include your profile handle in your message or comment.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.

Please reach out if you have any questions at all. If you are new to Medium, here’s how you submit a draft to a publication.

Call for Poetry Submissions—Your Blessing Has Arrived. Now What? was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.