Poeaxtry's Prism

Spell. Stone. & Sparks that Ignite Change

Tag: trauma and healing

  • “Women in Red Rooms”

    “Women in Red Rooms”

    Meet Dorthy Jade & “Women in Red Rooms”

    Originally from Austin Dorthy now reside outsides of Dallas. She got her start in radio while she was still an undergrad at UT. Soon after she got bit by the entertainment bug and began appearing in TV series shot locally in Austin such as ABC’s “American Crime,” a Fox Pilot for “Urban Cowboy” among others.

    Dorothy developed her first TV pilot, titled “Fourth Down” and incorporated her own independent production company titled Waymaker Women to produce TV, films and media targeted towards women of color in genre. Her latest project, is a book which marks her debut into the poetry arena. She notes her favorite project was her first TV Pilot that she developed. It was so special to her because it was the first ever project that I created; holds a special place in my heart.

    How “Women in Red Rooms” was birthed

    Dorothy Jade is a writer, storyteller and producer so she came from the world of entertainment. She decided that she wanted to publish and the best vehicle for her was poetry. It’s raw, instinctual and it just allows her to go after depths and uncomfortable truths that she has faced in acknowledging how rage has shaped her as a woman. Dorothy specifically created “Women in Red Rooms” to confront her own rage so that she could transform it into alchemy. Rage doesn’t have to be a crutch that puts you in this freeze state. It can become positive and allow you to heal and reclaim your power, if you allow it.

    Deeper meanings

    For Dorothy Jade, creation is all about autonomy, transformation and representing stories that primarily reach women of color. She knew that the end goal was to always develop worlds within genre that speak to women in a way they haven’t experienced before. Media and entertainment is simply a vehicle for me to expand my imagination.

    Dorothy Jade wants “Women in Red Rooms” to become a blueprint for those seeking a safe room if you will in using their rage for their transformation. You can use your anger and turn it into something meaningful, creative or healing. Rage isn’t the monster, here. You’re allowed to feel in ways that may have felt like shame at one point.

    Future Plans

    Dorothy is going on the road with “Women in Red Rooms” via tour as she plans to produce a documentary behind this world. She can see it growing teeth; becoming a brand beyond just poetry but film, television and animation as well.

    Links to Dorothy Jade socials, website: IG, twitter, threads @dorothviade and my site will be launching soon at dorothviade.com.

    Don’t forget to get Dorothy Jade’s book

    “Women in Red Rooms” here!

  • The Scar on My Shin: A Middle School Memory

    The Scar on My Shin: A Middle School Memory

    Pick a Scar and Tell Its Story:

    I have a scar on my left shin. It’s a small, pale reminder from around 2003, back when I was a sixth grader at Bridge Street Middle School in Elm Grove, West Virginia.

    It was a “free day” in gym class, the kind every kid waited for. The gym was a normal one. Located in the school auditorium, long and rectangular, with bleachers lining one of the walls. About three-quarters of the bleachers ran along the wall, then there was an opening for the doorway, and on the other side, a smaller section, maybe a quarter of the full set.

    I was up top on the longer side, full of energy, no sense of danger. I came running down the steps with my friend Brittany right behind me. We were laughing, just messing around, not thinking twice about how fast we were going.

    I hit the bottom and made it to that open space between the bleachers, but Brittany didn’t. She slipped on a wet spot on the gym floor, lost her balance, and went sliding. Of course, straight into me.

    We crashed hard, and both of us went down.

    The smaller section of bleachers. You know that quarter part by the doorway I mentioned earlier. Had metal edges under, where you’d rest your feet. When we fell, one of those sharp metal bars caught my shin just right. It tore into my leg deep enough that I saw white… bone white. My favorite pants instantly stained with blood. Somehow remained unripped.

    A U-shaped chunk of skin was gone. There was blood everywhere. My stepdad nearly passed out when he saw it, upon picking me up.

    That was the first time I ever got stitches, but definitely not the first time I should’ve.

    Now, every time I look at that scar, it’s not just pain I remember. It’s that wild mix of laughter, fear, and youth. You know, the way chaos and joy used to collide so easily before life got complicated.

    That little scar on my shin is more than a mark.

    It’s a snapshot of who I was before the world told me to grow up.

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  • Laughter. A Raw Poem on Love, Loss, and Lingering Pain.

    Laughter. A Raw Poem on Love, Loss, and Lingering Pain.

    An original poem by: Axton N.O. Mitchell

    I cannot wait to see your name, followed by no,
    Feelings, regret.
    With no thought to complement, no,
    Worry fluttering, butterfly wings,
    Hopelessness; Replacement of happiness,

    This was bliss. I’m happy I fucking lived for this.
    I do not expect you to come, or furthermore you to…
    Sense the sarcasm lingering on my tongue,

    No longer do I linger at your finger,
    I am no puppet but,
    That didn’t make you less of a master.
    I couldn’t even tell you what I was after,
    But this story wasn’t full of laughter.
    I had a picture, frozen in time… etched in my brain,
    You were not the one, I was insane… too think the same.

    Maybe… I really am to blame: for loving someone so wild..
    With intent to tame.
    All I want is to feel feelings… the way I did,
    Before you crept into my brain… sunk into my skin.

    Pour some more gin so I can tell you that you win…
    Even though you will not… give in… go away…
    Get. Out. Of. My. Brain.

    Sheer moments feel like eons, time wasted my love for you… on another.
    When you are what I was after, how will there ever be any laughter.

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  • Spill: Letters from Poeaxtry, Volume Three Turns Out They Like Sad Trans Poems After All

    Spill: Letters from Poeaxtry, Volume Three Turns Out They Like Sad Trans Poems After All

    Newsletter Vol. 3 — May 12th, 2025

    The One Where I Got Published… Thrice.
    Dear reader in the wilds of the prism,
    You know those months where you blink and suddenly your inbox goes from “we regret to inform you” to “we’d love to publish your work”?
    Yeah. That happened.

    In the past few weeks, I’ve had three poems accepted, two rejections (because balance, of course), and I officially partnered with Forever with Pride which is a UK-based queer e-magazine and online store that actually gives a damn about uplifting trans and minority voices.

    It’s been a surreal stretch. Not in the dreamlike, float-above-your-body kind of way. However, more like I tripped into a publishing alley and somehow hit three bullseyes with a busted pen and a pocketful of trauma.
    So naturally, I’m celebrating.
    Well, WE are celebrating

    SALE: 30% OFF EVERYTHING
    Ebooks. Prompt journals. Witchy spells. Sad boy poetry with a resistance arc. Cool rocks and MORE!

    Use code: Axtongotpublished

    Valid until: May 13th – May 21st

    Shop the Prism on Etsy

    Whether you’re new to my work or have read me sobbing through syllables since the beginning, this is for you. These pieces were written between hormone shots and grief spirals, in hospital parking lots and on trailheads, with shaking hands that still wrote anyway.
    Publishing feels weird when you were never sure you were even allowed to speak.
    But here I am. Still writing. Still showing up. Still turning my story into spell work and eBooks stitched from leftover bravery.

    Maybe you’re reading this because you’re one of the ones who believed before I ever had a byline. Maybe you’re new and wondering why this trans guy keeps mailing you metaphors about dirt and ghosts and gender. Either way I’m damn glad you’re here.
    This is just the beginning.
    That I know is a fact.

    Community, Submissions, and the Power of Voice

    The Prism Discord is growing — and so are the projects.
    If you’re looking for a place to share your work, connect with other creatives, and find opportunities to get published, come join us.
    Right now, we’ve got two major submission calls open:

    Voices for the Voiceless — an ongoing eBook project highlighting art, poetry, and essays from marginalized voices in the aftermath of the 2024 election. Open to BIPOC, queer, disabled, immigrant, trans, and allied creatives. Submission cap? None for visual art, 10 for poems, and 2 essays. Deadline? September 2 (for now). The Joy They Cannot Erase a trans masc and nonbinary masc-centered collection that will become a full eBook project. Open to those who identify across the masc spectrum. More details, prompts, and themes coming soon but it’s already in motion. Looking for solo pieces and bros who want to go all in on one piece.

    Got a piece that fits? Submit it. Got questions? Come ask in the server. Just want to read and vibe? You’re welcome too.

    We’re building something honest, weird, and inclusive one poem, one eBook, one voice at a time.

    Discord
    UpDATES

    Or visit the updates button above for more.
    Now that’s out of the way have a goood day!

    Until next spill,
    Where the wild things write.
    Where silence softens.
    Where stories spill.

    With ink, bruised knees, and gratitude,
    Axton N. O. Mitchell

    @poeaxtry_

    I ALMOST FORGOT!
    Want to sharpen your spell work or stitch cleaner lines into your prose?
    Maybe you’ve got poems that won’t behave, a story that needs scaffolding, or a website dream still stuck in your notebook margins.
    Udemy has become a favorite haunt of mine lately. Plus, it is stacked with free and paid courses covering everything from:
    HTML & web design (so you can build your own digital altar) Creative and professional writing (because sometimes the magic needs structure) Storytelling, poetry, journaling, publishing, and beyond
    Whether you’re a total beginner or someone who just needs to refresh what your brain forgot during burnout season, you can scroll through their list yourself right on the Udemy app or their website.
    No subscriptions. No gatekeeping.
    Just click, learn, repeat.
    And maybe finally finish that weird little writing project whispering in the back of your mind.