"godliness" (tw: violence, bold text)
i'm not the god i once was
my chaos? organized
my rot? cleaned away
wings? plucked clean and stripped of meat
ears and tail? shaved for coats, leaving them to freeze off
the harsh, unforgiving landscape of snow and ice, stretching forever, searing my eyes
"rescued" by those awful hunters, violated and mutated into what i am now
a monstrosity.
a lonely mass of freezing cold air, wrapped in feathers and held together by dewdrops and spiderweb.
the way i watch my pain mold into the shape of my cracking skull.
the way the anger rises, rises, rises.
yet i have to stay here, trapped in this silence, deafened by its overwhelming buzzing
white, staticky, the opposite of my godly home, where warmth and darkness welcome all.
-Faye/Arsyn (they/it)
fallen (tw: fire, toxic friends, repeating phrases)
i can still feel it. i remember when the stars collided and it all went dark.
the way they scorched my wings, sending me crashing down, down, down.
i remember
i remember why
i remember why i fell
i remember why i fell down here
they took me away from those that were toxic
knew i was strong enough for it to heal, for me to stand tall.
i was strong enough, and still am.
-Penelop (she/god)
spinning (tw: repeating words, circus/clowns?)
the ball rolls under me
spinning, spinning, spinning...
my mind, full of giggles, bright colors, a veil to hide the sadness
spinning, spinning, spinning...
the way the ringmaster is silent as i roll across the stage
spinning, spinning, spinning...
the disappointment rattling around in his empty smile
spinning, spinning, spinning...
-Pal (honk/honks)
gender
a social construct that holds us back
our generation, taking the time to act.
working hard
to erase centuries-old scars.
the way we've had this pushed on us since birth
and the way conforming determines your self-worth.
they ask if you've sold your soul,
or try to bury you in a never-ending hole,
of pain and regret
as you sweat and sweat
with the labor of being free,
of being truly non-binary.
your gender grows, twists, and twines
living like the growing vine.
not on either extreme,
somewhere else, in the unseen,
the grey, the unsure
when you're asked questions, emotions stir.
"pronouns?" they ask, shaking their heads,
all the disappointment, left unsaid.
but hold your head high
look them in the eye,
and let those that're negative pass on by.
you don't need to conform
to societal norms,
nor let them tell you who to be,
live your life in your own version of ecstasy.
-almost all of the system pitched in here
love the world that doesn't love you back (tw: bugs)
today i saw the most
r e m a r k a b l e
thing.
a little girl, cradling a ladybug, finding the
p e r f e c t
flower to rest it in.
such a small, simple, seemingly insignificant action, every
i n t e n t
pure, this child untouched by the cruelty of the world.
i wish the innocence of this little girl could be
s h a r e d
with me.
me, who is a thorn
a m o n g s t
roses.
scraping, pricking, hurting
o t h e r s
hands.
-The Red Lady (she/her)