Submission Policy





Mel BrakE Press acquires first serial rights to all work published. Mel BrakE Press also reserves the right to electronically archive any content published.




All other rights revert to author upon publication.



Mel BrakE Press has a liberal submission policy, and will accept poetry manuscripts (not books) for its next publication cycle, the Spring of 2018.



We do not charge a reading fee. We DO NOT PAY TO PUBLISH YOUR WORK.



We only accept submissions via email for collection of poems. Please send no more than 3-5 pages of poetry as an email attachment using standard MS format. We do not accept epic manuscripts:10 pages or more will be rejected.



Please note in subject line: "Submission".

Manuscripts that do not follow our guidelines
will be subject to rejection. We do not publish books.



Direct submissions or questions to:

Melbrake@verizon.net



Thank you











Thursday, April 29, 2010

TERRANCE AT 15



Mel BrakeE Press is very pleased to announce the on-line publication of Terrance Jones first chapbook, "Terrance AT 15". Terrance Jones is from Philadelphia, PA and he has been encouraged to write poetry. He is a bright and intelligent 15 year old young man, and his writing is very advanced for someone his age. Others have told this publication that the torched was passed to Terrance Jones and the world should be on the lookout for this fine and outstanding young man, poet and rap artist.


Terrance AT 15
By Terrance Jones



Dedication:

I would like to give a dedication to Mel Brake for leading me on the right path with both my outside life and my inside world of poetry.

I would also like to thank my Mom and sisters for giving me the reasons to write and reasons why I should and do believe and love my God.

Lastly, I would like to dedicate “Terrance At 15” to everyone who reads my poetry.

Thanks to “Mel Brake Family Band and “Teen Ink” for allowing me the opportunity to share my poetry.

Acknowledgment:

I would like to acknowledge the following people who made a difference in my life:
Mom (Tayana Lindsey), Shaqia Jones, Kalia Lindsey,
Kayanna Lindsey, Mel Brake, Ms. Dot, Ms. Hazel, Tank
and Kari-my loving stepfather.

Forward:

My Only Son

It’s just a matter of time
Before you let your light shine
For all the world to see
That you’re an image of me

You were born a winner
We all make mistakes as a beginner

We fall, we get up, we learn to do what’s right
Sooner than later we hope all will be all right

You are a charm
Don’t be alarmed

Life is not easy it can be tough
You have potential to make it, even if it’s rough

You are my child, my only son
I love you unconditionally you are the one

Make me proud
Make me smile
You are my only son
You are my child

It’s just a matter of time
Before you let your light shine
For all the world to see
That you are an image of me

Love Mommy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SECTION ONE:

MY STORY, MY SELF

Me and More Me

I woke up this morning.
Still worn out from hiding from me.
So as I sat on the edge of my bed, I said.
“There is more to Terrance than clothes and money”.

I am more than smart and brown skin than tan.
If you glance behind these eyes you will discover the poet within my dark brown eyes.

Don’t call me fly guy or money man.
My name is Terrance, the protégé in his poet disguise.

IF

If
I stood on one leg and
Told you the ABC’s backwards
Would you laugh out loud at me?

If
I planted dead roses in your garden
Would you laugh then?

If
I went skinny dipping in the lake
Would you laugh then?

If
I wore bo-bo’s that cost a dollar at the dollar store
Would you laugh then?

If
I needed bifocals
Would you laugh?

If
I liked and wore the color pink
Would you laugh?

I just wonder
Would you laugh at me?


All Jokes Aside

All jokes aside
I got something on my mind
But that’s only when I look into your eyes
To me you look mighty fine

I can change your life
Girl
I can change your world
Girl

Image how far you and me can fly
I will gather you under my wings
Baby girl we can glide
How far let’s give it a try

I can change your life
Baby Girl

I can change your world
Baby Girl

Cause every time you go looking for me
You will find
All jokes aside
Baby girl you staying on my mind

UPS AND DOWNS

We all have our ups and downs.
But me, I have more downs than ups.
Well I ‘m only 15 and I think about big dreams.

But I think there’s something in this world that is trying to stop me.
I tried playing chess to bring my downfalls up, becoming the best.
But the pawns on the board kept pulling me in check.

When I got out of check, I castled and captured the pawns.
I then had a bowl of downfalls in my palm.

So I put that bowl in checkmate and went for the crown.
My feelings went from feeling down to feeling……….uplifting.
Knowing that I now held the crown.
We all have our ups and downs.
So I want to lift my spirit and have more ups than downs……….

IMAGINE

I walked by a mirror
It then caught my eyes
Then I wondered at the world
Behind this mirror I then saw a flash appear
It was my Lord
Holding a file based upon my life
Within my Lord’s reflection I saw
A little tinkle in his eyes
My God then said so many years have gone by
He brought me back to when I was 5
Shouting in the sanctuary, praising him faithfully every Sunday
To this day
I am now 15 having a blast with my life
My Lord has brought something upon me
I then shed tears while I look into his holy world within this mirror
I tried sorting out all these wonderful blessings
But my Lord in the mirror told me to move on
Take your life day by day that’s what my lord said
My God told me one last thing
Don’t be afraid of change and enjoy the day that the Lord shall bring
As I walked away from the mirror
I closed my eyes and said
I have been there and done that
As I opened my eyes I said
I am going to walk away a new man with a bigger imagination
I will leave this magical mirror within my heart and soul
So I can explore more adventures when I enter a New World
I walked by a mirror
It then caught my eyes
As I left the magical world
I told my God I will always
Be a child with an imagination
And a child of God’s

IMAGINE PART 2

Those up in the sky that I love
We will meet in the 2-way mirror
Our images will touch one another’s soul
For 7 split seconds
If you are ready or not
I will grasp your soul and hold on tight
I will feel the pain that you felt before God
Took you out of my life
As we look through this mirror
Feel and taste the salty tears roll down our cheeks
I will pray for the pain that is deep within
This mirror
Then I will tell you
It sucks to be me
Our 7 seconds is up
So I will break this mirror and feel another source of pain
Our souls will touch for 7 split seconds
7 is the only lucky number to enter my Lord’s Heaven

SELF-PORTRAIT

I told you this so many times.
Before but I guess I haven’t told you enough.

Love is not me being who you want me to be.
Your definition of love is you
wanting me to follow the same path as your,
me being in the system and doing things that gangsters do.

Can’t you see?
Do you listen?

I can’t see my life behind bars or on drug corners like you.
I wish you cared about my life.
I wish you cared about what matters to me.

But you don’t care.

So I can’t stress,
I just have to move on and do my best.

Either way Dad I will pull myself free
from your mind, body, and soul.
It’s come to that point you
can’t tell me who to be or how to live.

This is my self-portrait.

So I will be who I want to be.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SECTION TWO:

MY SELF, MY GOD

MY GOD


My God is the God of all Gods
My God is the One who wakes me every day
I rise and praise My God

My God is the God of all Gods
My God is the God who helps my family and me
Through all the pain and rough times

My God is the God of all Gods
My God brought me into the world
I am his angel

My God is the God of all Gods
My God sewed the patch on my heart

My God
My Holy God
Will never leave me
‘Til death do us part

My God is the God of all Gods
My God
My Lord
My Savior
My God is the God of all Gods

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION

Law of Attraction can mean lots of things
In my mind
I can think of only one thing
I am attracted to money and fame.

But I am scared of success
Because I hear it brings pain.

But Mel Brake and me
Are about to jump on a one-way express train
To the fast moving poetry lane.

My God My Lord
O Mighty
My God My Lord
O Mighty

Thank you for shining down
On Mel and me.

We have founded the keys to success
Taking things one a time
Step by step
And on to the very next.

Law of Attraction brings recognition to our names
I guess that’s when we start to get that Tri-state fame.

Law of Attraction can mean lots of things
But when you do what you love money will come
That’s one of God’s Rules, called the Law of Attraction
And it will bring us everything.

WHO ARE YOU

Who are you?
Be yourself

If you were wise
And follow the Guide
Of your God inside

You would have
Survived
Just

By being yourself....
Once again
Who are you?

GOD, DREAMS, MY FEELINGS

I was 15 when I first looked up to the heavens.
My mind was in a dazed as I looked up into the sky.
I thought about taking a trip to the moon in my mind.

Until my Holy Spirit came and changed my mood,
I was feeling mellow now but I was still caught up in my dreams.

So I closed my eyes
and then my soul and mind was traveling back
into the heavens where the Lord’s power
kept my soul with him.
And there he took my empty body
or grounded me and there I saw
my dreams lay before me.

When I saw my future dreams lay before me
I prayed to God and eventually,
this bird came back to my soul,
and helped me dream about a new and improved dreams.

I kneeled down and started to pray to my Lord
about the choices that I will make,
when leaving this nasty place.
My prayers seemed good and honest but I had a weird
feeling that with the sins I have made,
it would be best to pray to myself.
And keep it hidden, to confide in no one, absolutely no one.

While praying and dreaming,
I learned to have the last laugh and push pass it,
and to be myself, and have an open mind about what I dream.

“Dear God. Thank you for helping me
to push pass my bad sins
like you said I will not look back, I will ask for forgiveness and move on.”

I was 15 when I first looked up to the heavens.
My mind was dazed into the skies, I thought about taking a trip to the moon with God.

ABOUT AUTHOR/Bio:

Terrance Jones A.K.A. Boo-Boo is a 15-year-old poet who comes from the West Side of Philadelphia, PA. He has a loving family who cares for him very much. He lives with his mom, his three sisters and a loving stepfather. He also has a black cat that loves to eat tuna fish and stands on two legs.

Terrance Jones attends residential school in Audubon, PA. He currently is studying culinary arts. He loves science, and writing is his favorite subject. Terrance Jones loves playing football, playing on the computer, text messaging and meeting new females.

Terrance Jones would like to further his studies in culinary arts, and he would like to work with troubled youth so they can make the best of themselves. He was encouraged to write when he learned that by putting his feelings on paper, writing helped him to release stress and pain. He also writes because he likes to make people understand that writing can have a positive impact on one’s life. He feels uplifted, aggressive and some pain when he writes his poems or work. In addition, he thinks that writing can be touching and he wants his work to touch everyone who reads his poems. He hopes people will get the message that he is trying to get across. He would love to learn how poems change the mindset of young kids out there in this century.

When he writes poems he feels closer to his God. He also loves sharing his work with others. His publishing credits include publication in “Teen Ink” and “Blogtalkradio.com”. Also, one of his poems was publicly displayed at a famous Philadelphia downtown bakery, “Brown Betty’s”. Other credits include,”PoetrySoup.com which will publish his work as well. In addition, he is in the “Mel Brake Family Band” where he plays instruments and reads poetry.

Besides poetry, Terrance Jones also ghostwrites raps songs for friends.
He is interested in becoming a worldwide poet in the future.
Terrance Jones has a bright future ahead of him, thanks to Mel Brake, the poet.

For comments or to learn more about Terrance Jones or his appearances, please contact him at: Littleteeboy@aol.com