Shapeshifter
I exist somewhere between `
a match and a flame,
a tear and the sea,
a handful of clay and a sculpted vase.
No other being determines or
influences which form I take,
which direction I follow,
which air I choose to breathe into my lungs.
Those who fear my state of being
fear the unknown,
the unsubscribed,
the undeclared.
And that which causes their unease is my strength.
disrobing
gender is the seam of ill-fitting pants
that, no matter how they are altered,
continue to give me a painful wedgie.
it is a pair of support tights,
that I’m required to wear beneath a skirt,
which gives me a miserable yeast infection.
the only relief is to remove the constraints
of gender entirely and allow myself
to breathe freely…
droplets of revolution
ideas require darkness and a steady drizzle to germinate. letters and syllables mingle. seeping layer by layer into the ground. entwine and thrive deep in the earth. forming stories which push their way up. they present themselves without shame. basking in sunlight. continuing to grow. shouting the brightness of their names. for as long as we tend to them…
rainseed I feed words to the cloud
The way we communicate, specifically with stories, is part of what makes us human. It’s how we know about our past, how we investigate and work through our present, and how we can contribute to the future. By writing our own narratives, we take control instead of allowing them to be written for us. As with growing plants, timing is important in the process of culminating and sharing our stories. This process is a way we can work through conflict and maintain the power of our identities—our resolution for revolution.
Robin Anna Smith (she/her) is a non-binary, disabled writer and visual artist, currently residing in Wilmington, Delaware. She primarily writes about personal experiences with trauma, loss, disability, mental health, and gender identity. She is a regular contributor at Rhythm & Bones Lit. Her work appears or is forthcoming in a variety of online and print journals internationally, and in Unsealing Our Secrets: A Short Poem Anthology About Sexual Abuse and You Are Not Your Rape Anthology.
More of her work can be found at her website robinannasmith.com and Twitter @robinannasmith.
BURNING HOUSE PRESS 