Jaded by Debra Ayis I am Jaded, The pretense, treachery, Deception and lies Dark unyielding hearts controlled by hate I am hardened The wars, the conflict Dead bodies pile up, no one is counting Claiming ‘my loss is greater than yours’ And ‘my life is more important than the other’ I am immune To kindness, love Despair calls and beckons Self – reigns supreme National interest, perhaps a close second. I have acknowledged Your written word is true The words come to pass. Wars a

A LITTLE EVERY DAY By Debra Ayis I die a little every day But not my soul, my spirit Only my flesh, its desires I choose to serve my sire Picking up my cross And pushing through the crowd At the end, a crown to attain I die a little every day To achieve victory In every struggle and fight No matter how life seems tight I will always win Even if it seems a loss To the physical eye of mortal man, I am continually soaked In the sweet rain of joy and victory I die a little every

"At the end of the day, what matters is whether your heart is in the right place.” That was the gist of what I said to my friend Christy* a few days ago, when we were talking about life in general and how to honor God in our lifestyles. Perhaps it was not a coincidence that Christy was there to point out that good intentions are never enough. Her comment reminded of what another friend had told me: “My heart tricked me”. Sometime before that, he called and I could hear from h

Disclaimer: What you will read below is an unapologetic, graphic, and raw work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This piece is not age appropriate for children. Sexual violence is an issue in most societies. Sexual violence against women and girls is more prevalent and is often addressed as a female only issue, but it's something that affects all individuals regardless of gender. It is used by terrorist gr