A letter to grief

"i value time off—and self-love

and what comes along with peace

such as breathing through the clear breeze

sometimes forgetting about my oxygen-thief"

"The mirror of truth, / the shame and pain of emptiness, / of lack, / of defeat."

An admiration of love and a manifestation of freedom…

“In a broken world, I promise to love you whole.”

This poem sends a message to not hide and to not fear loving or being who you are.

How my family's body-shaming led me to codependency issues and a suicide attempt.

“This love I have for you is a pure one that I often struggle to express; with you, I struggle to be vulnerable, to dare greatly, and to trust that what I have to give is enough. It’s the pureness of a Mother’s love coded into my soul from the Divine Himself.”

"I killed my hair to revive my spirit."

A journey within to remember the essence of your true Self

She is walking into me, we are becoming.

But being me is what brings me peace. / What others think, / Will never give me this ease.

“Who knew a little unbounded sensual self-touch could lead to such liberty?”

I hate birthdays. Or to be more precise, I hate the feeling birthdays give me. Most especially, I hate my own birthday.

Choose which line speaks to you…

A daughter of immigrants’ changing view on what it means to care for self, especially during times of uncertainty…

For the many me's - who see in you, identity.

Placing the power to define your identity in the hands of others only makes you a prisoner to their definition.

I can’t really give her any advice, but I really feel like I need to talk to her. I need to let go of the burden on my shoulders and talk about how much I’ve changed and how much I’ve lost myself. 

Things I could do with my time: Cook nshima and kapenta. Cook visashi. Crotchet products from chitenge. Knit products from chitenge. Speak to my parents about a history they had long left behind and refuse to revisit. Speak to my father about his life in Egypt. Speak to my mother about her life before my father. Speak to myself. Things I do instead: Have an existential crisis, several crises.