I entered an Adult Writing Contest promoted by the local library a few months ago (I didn’t win, so I will publish it here now.)
I considered writing in the poetry category because that’s always been fun for me, and one morning instead of picking up my journal to write I grabbed a blank pad and got in the zone. I knocked this poem out in about 30 minutes. The words came so easily. So simple, true, and real; it felt so authentic. Or as my friend Setema Gali says, “Real, raw, and relevant.”
So I’ve decided that this month’s blog title is Authentic, as a declaration and a reminder that I must, will, always be unapologetically authentic in my work, play, and person.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that when I stray from that, when I tend to care what others think or feel more than prioritizing my own joyfulness and happy thoughts, I fall into a funk. I overeat. I lose my luster, inside and out (dull nails, hair & skin), and I tend to write, craft, and earn less.
My commitment to write a 1x monthly blog post has been simple yet powerful to keep me moving forward. I see that as I remain true-to-myself in more daily ways, I’m gaining desired momentum. I encourage you to declare and do something, anything, that you’re passionate about today!
“Lossent”
I created this word to commemorate the loss.
Your sickness came with such a cost.
For the times you were ill, we cried; we crocheted.
When you felt well, you laughed; you played.
As the years passed by, we accepted our destiny…
Yet there was always a sense of calmness with urgency.
Then, one day, suddenly life felt too short.
My answer became, “Yes, you may build a blanket fort!”
When you finally died, no words could contain
The sadness, the heartache, trauma, tears, and pain.
A lossent is someone who outlives their child.
Biological, fostered, or adopted, parenting is wild!
Grandparents, siblings, neighbors, cousins, best friends.
So many people are deeply affected when a child’s life ends.
~ Lisa Tomei, 3/13/25