Transgender (Page 3)

A monochrome image of snow falling softly on a line of wood and cast-iron benches that line the sidewalk in a New York City park. In the background, old buildings stretch into the distance.

Sometimes the warmth we need
comes from an unexpected place.

A novella (10,025 words).

[read]. . .

A grey wolf peeks out from behind a birch tree.

Sometimes I feel like a sheep in wolves clothing.

In our formative years,
we all change certain aspects of our behavior
in order to better fit in with others.
We all compromise in different ways
so we can ease tension with those around us.
We give up parts of ourselves,
thinking it will make things easier.
It seldom does.

(640 words)

[continue]. . .

A garden of purple, pink, and white sweet pea flowers beside a trellis, with a single red rose blooming among them.

The beauty of a rose,
wrapped tight within the vines,
upon my trellis waiting,
just waiting for her time.

Bursting open, petals stretch
unto the light of day.
Exploding colors all around,
for Spring has come to stay.

[continue]. . .

Paper cut-outs of people's arms and the Earth. Each of the pieces is wrinkled, and the arms overlap each other. The arms are cut from many different colors of paper, which is reflective of the diversity of the human race. The Earth is cut from blue and green papers. All of the hands are pointed inward, toward the Earth.

Life is serenely complicated.
Some people try to stand out,
and by doing so hope to fit in
with others who do the same.
Me, I never wanted to stand out,
to be different, but I am.
I guess we all are, in our own way,
different that is.

[continue]. . .

Fourth of July fireworks over an apartment building near Sandy Springs.

Awakened by fireworks at 1:30AM.
Disoriented I get up to see
why there are explosions
outside our back door.
Standing there looking out the bathroom window,
it hits me.
A flood of realization.

[continue]. . .

A small woman, in a semi-transparent white dress, sits atop the round end of a red bubble wand, inside a soap bubble.

there is a me that no one sees
the one i long to be
to live a life devoid of fear
i’m dying to be free

i see a world when eyes are closed
in dreams that’s where i go
for there i truly am at peace
in a place that few may know

[continue]. . .