Forever Love

dawn’s morning light heavy dew sparkling on fields made of glass carrying my babies safe in the womb a gentle caress from my husband’s sure hand waiting for twilight to reveal its moon swimming weightless in azure blue watching my children grow strong into their own sensing I love you Read more

Julie Anderson

Julie Anderson is the Creator and Publisher of Feminine Collective. Julie was inspired to create this safe place for women to share their secrets, desires, triumphs and pain as the antithesis of what mainstream media offers women today. In her column Pursuit of Perfection, she explores the importance of rectifying the balance of inner and outer beauty through essays, poems and articles on self-esteem, shame, family, and self- acceptance.

WASTE

My thoughts are eternally submerged in a mire of self-disgust. I watch, aloof as the filth of this cruelty is accumulating around me, repugnant insults carried on the glistening spittle flying off my tongue. Hate-filled thoughts create a layer of crusty grime, hardening on the floor, in time, I can Read more

Judith Staff

Judith Staff’s background is in teaching and early years education. She still teaches occasionally, though now her main focus is in child welfare and safeguarding children. Her work includes delivering training, presenting at conferences, and engaging in collaborative projects with schools around child abuse awareness and sexual violence prevention. She enjoys writing blogs and poetry on topics she feels passionate about. Judith loves running, gym classes and karate. She is married to an art lecturer and they live in Northamptonshire, England with their three free-spirited children, a 12- year-old son, and daughters aged 11 and 9.

The “Yes” Woman

“It’s all about you, how can you be living a life filled with such self-indulgence ignoring the rest of us mortals?” I could not tell you how many times this mere thought had crossed my mind in the last couple years. Not long ago, I was accused of such indolence, Read more

Stephanie Ortez

Stephanie is a highly caffeinated mother of two wonderful boys. She is hopelessly addicted to non-fiction books and literature that moves her to tears. She is an admissions advisor for George Washington University online where she assists homeschooled students internationally. Stephanie lives with Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She is a passionate mental health advocate, member of Stigma Fighters. Her writing has been featured on The Elephant Journal, The Mighty, The Organic Coffee Haphazardly and Feminine Collective.

Baby,Don’t You Know?

My eyes are stars and my vision impaired. You speak of love, washed over with a glaze of indifference, I see your lips move, but I think that perhaps you have me all wrong. I told you before in various ways, I showed you before with the movements of my Read more

Julie Anderson

Julie Anderson is the Creator and Publisher of Feminine Collective. Julie was inspired to create this safe place for women to share their secrets, desires, triumphs and pain as the antithesis of what mainstream media offers women today. In her column Pursuit of Perfection, she explores the importance of rectifying the balance of inner and outer beauty through essays, poems and articles on self-esteem, shame, family, and self- acceptance.

The Hungering

She does not notice him watching her with her friends. At late o’clock he swoops, grinning, then kissing her intently lotharioesque, appearing from the peripheral shadows of the bar. She’s kissing back like the vodka tells her to, as if she desires him, a “Rookie cop” he tells her, “From Read more

Judith Staff

Judith Staff’s background is in teaching and early years education. She still teaches occasionally, though now her main focus is in child welfare and safeguarding children. Her work includes delivering training, presenting at conferences, and engaging in collaborative projects with schools around child abuse awareness and sexual violence prevention. She enjoys writing blogs and poetry on topics she feels passionate about. Judith loves running, gym classes and karate. She is married to an art lecturer and they live in Northamptonshire, England with their three free-spirited children, a 12- year-old son, and daughters aged 11 and 9.

Gold

Heavy words, insinuations if you will are left like baggage, there they are, on the back porch of my mind. All of them lined up in order, not of appearance but importance. Baffling renditions of memories held within their confines, these ghostly memories cannot find their place in the now, Read more

Julie Anderson

Julie Anderson is the Creator and Publisher of Feminine Collective. Julie was inspired to create this safe place for women to share their secrets, desires, triumphs and pain as the antithesis of what mainstream media offers women today. In her column Pursuit of Perfection, she explores the importance of rectifying the balance of inner and outer beauty through essays, poems and articles on self-esteem, shame, family, and self- acceptance.

When I Was Young

If I could tell that young girl anything, I would tell her that no matter what horrific obstacles life throws at her, no matter the lowest depths of pain and insanity, or the highest highs, she’d manage somehow. No matter if she was rich or poor, single, famous, divorced, abused, Read more

Jacqueline Cioffa

A retired, international model, and celebrity makeup artist. Co-Author of Model Citi Zen, the guide. Founder of http://modelcitizenmakeup.blogspot.com/. Author of numerous prose pieces in various literary magazines. Most recently published in Little Episodes Brainstorms the anthology, among esteemed artists Sadie Frost, Melvin Burgess and Todd Swift.

I See Her

I see her wavering on the cusp. I see her reckless ways, I see the myriad of her facets, She is a diamond with serrated seams I see how she responds to the language of humanity, words coat her, they drip sweetness into her soul I see how you would Read more

Julie Anderson

Julie Anderson is the Creator and Publisher of Feminine Collective. Julie was inspired to create this safe place for women to share their secrets, desires, triumphs and pain as the antithesis of what mainstream media offers women today. In her column Pursuit of Perfection, she explores the importance of rectifying the balance of inner and outer beauty through essays, poems and articles on self-esteem, shame, family, and self- acceptance.