By: Prathigna Yerakala September 14, 2019September 15, 2019 MENTAL HEALTHfeatured, mental health, suicide awareness monthLeave a Comment

The September Issue: A Mental Health Narrative

10:30 pm, September 3rd Tuesday nights were ridiculous. We found ourselves at the same old bar, waiting in line with the same old crowd. We smiled vaguely at ex-lovers passing by and pretended the three shots of tequila at the pregame had yet to hit us. A dozen or so heels tapped against the concrete…

By: K. O'Neill July 26, 2019September 15, 2019 EMPOWERMENT, THE ARTSfeaturedLeave a Comment

This Is What The Truth Feels Like

“Frequency” by K. O’Neill, 36″x48″, acrylic on canvas, online at K. O’Neill Studio I just finished my first solo art exhibition in the City of Brotherly Love two weeks ago. I had poured my heart and soul into creating the perfect collection of works to showcase, stayed up the night before the event going over…

By: Prathigna Yerakala May 29, 2019June 15, 2019 CULTUREfeaturedLeave a Comment

The Perfect Percent

On red hot mornings, we drink masala chai. As the sun rises, we rise with it. Vendors trudge through the bustling streets with a vigor unlike any other. The sound of car horns and restless rush hour victims echo through the ivory walls. Downstairs, my aunts are ringing bells inside the pooja room and the…

ABOUT

WHO ARE WE? Reclamation Magazine is a digital publication committed to amplifying the voices of the marginalized. We attempt to give the communities and the people whose perspectives have been cast off in the mainstream a platform to express themselves — to showcase their vulnerability, to stand tall in the face of adversity, and to…

Walk Like You Like Yourself

By: Zeshan Bari October 20, 2019

EMPOWERMENT, HEALTH & WELLNESSLeave a Comment

I was always aware that I was fat. It was as much of a fact to me as the sky being blue. Before I could even form my own opinions, my environment was teaching me to be ashamed of my body wherever I went — home, school, the mosque, and even the grocery store checkout…

TICKLING CATASTROPHE

By: Hokis October 20, 2019

EMPOWERMENT, MENTAL HEALTH, POETRY & PROSELeave a Comment

image from 1944 film Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, source: “What Does Gaslight Even Mean?“ __ can I stop by?I need a needle and thread to sew on a button. can I stop by? I need your advice. I stepped in. I had to.can you believe he would hit is own mother? can I…

Kintsugi & T(h)ea

By: Hokis October 20, 2019

CULTURE, POETRY & PROSE, RELIGIONLeave a Comment

I find our tribal human mind will always fight against the heart, missing the soul of the matter at hand. Unless the steady mentor’s brush meets the tree’s gold-infused sap, patiently stroking our scars to rejoin us we remain broken, shards of ceramic tea pots, waitingto pair our bitter matchawith their coupled sweet. __ This…

they tell a story

By: Anu October 3, 2019

EMPOWERMENT, POETRY & PROSE1 Comment

The scars on her body They all tell a story For she had been ridden of freedom To speak, to laugh, to live & to love With a life planned out just for her She was caught in binding ropes Her “well wishers” had weaved oh so carefully But the day had come when she…

Thicker Than Blood

By: Hokis October 3, 2019

CULTURE, POETRY & PROSELeave a Comment

At the age of 22, I met the 63-year-old Armenian woman who had given me up for adoption. On the evening of that breathtaking day I stood in her bedroom. We spoke through our reflection in the mirror in front of us. I felt small, not in the five-foot way I was used to, but…

It’s All Poetic Justice Until We Lose Our Eyes

By: Hokis October 3, 2019October 3, 2019

FEMINISM, MENTAL HEALTH, POETRY & PROSELeave a Comment

My story is so nearly relevant, I forget and roll my eyes. Devil in savior’s clothes.Chooses strong women to destroy.Feeds his need for power, not so much to enjoy.{climax} his ego & impatient impulsesblind him. his triangulatedpitted fruits gather, withselfless, patient pistols restingat their soldier hips.Protests him out of town. {climax} Our storyHas a modern twist…

The Church Remains on Fire

By: Hokis October 3, 2019

POETRY & PROSE, WORLD ISSUESLeave a Comment

I keep thinking; These fleeing, mournful, frightened creatures- These are the true homeless climate refugees.‬ ‪I keep thinking‬; ‪Nature will return. Nature is bigger than this moment. ‬ I keep thinking; This is how life ends? With humans who only lend a hand that results in power? With humans who refuse their neighbors’ pale of…

Epigenetic Reverb

By: Hokis October 3, 2019

CULTURE, POETRY & PROSELeave a Comment

{{{strong shimmer…..} there will be no genocide today. no martyrs to make. We do not waste time on trifles.Leap, my daughter, from yourself.Fly off the edge of tonight’s Mount\ed Araratif that’s what it takes. We do not fret for your fall.The anchoring foothills of Noah’s long journey are soft. We do not recommend you ignore…

Synapse Surfing

By: Hokis October 3, 2019

EMPOWERMENT, MENTAL HEALTH, POETRY & PROSELeave a Comment

When I close my eyes and reach for the wall When my presence disappears {this is now} {this is now} {this is now} {this is now} Know I am strong –feet solid on my board synapse surfing eye to eye with the Great White inside You may think I touch to please To play\for(e) me,…