i swam out beyond the buoys and kept swimming i closed my eyes so i would not see the shore slipping away from view and though my arms burned and though i knew you were long out of reach i kept swimming i had stood on the shore for far too long i had rested…
Author: Clio
Breathe
breathe and don’t stop breathing push and don’t stop pushing fight and don’t stop fighting each time they win, they grow stronger they build new strategies they find more weaknesses in your defenses if you quit, they win again and they cannot win again so breathe and don’t stop breathing — Clio 04.05.21
Sunrise Service
on an easter when i still believed on the western bank of the saint clair river in a park where my father and i were setting out folding chairs just before the sunrise he in his minister’s gown was surprised that i was up so early on a sunday since i didn’t like church but…
The Citadel I
I found you naked in the citadel. You were sitting on the floor, hugging your knees, your back covered in scars from the leeches that had drained your spirit. I spoke in soft tones, saying what I thought was your name. But you did not even turn your head. So I stood there in the…
the man in the mirror isn’t one
“freak” is a brick thrown through a window i can see it coming: chest expanded, eyes red, primate teeth bared it has been pulled from the foundation of the house i would not live in it was crafted from the stones of the land i have disavowed ground up and box shaped and the color…
i held my tongue
i held my tongue one too many times and now it’s run away i freed it for just a moment but it saw an opportunity and took it the last time i saw it it was in the yard digging underneath the fence by the back wall i couldn’t call out to it so i…
The Search for the Rabbit
When I was 17, I wrote a novel that got published a few years later. It wasn’t in press for very long, and then it spent a long time existing mostly in my basement (moving between several basements). Last year, I scanned it and cleaned it up a little; now I’m posting it here, in…
at the edge of the rushes
i wanted to show you what my face looked like behind the mask but i was afraid that you would turn me away just like the ones i knew when i was a child like the girls who laughed at my shows of femininity at my tears at the dolls that rocked me to sleep…
The fog
I was told to fear the darkness. I was never warned about the fog, but the fog is full of monsters waiting behind the wisps. The darkness has a name. It slips from beneath our feet and leaves us sliding down, into the abyss. The darkness tastes of anguish and smells of regret. We can…
Trans-Friendly Pronouns: An infographic
I designed this for teachers who prefer a visual summary of the key ideas on pronoun use for transgender and nonbinary students. I also have longer text-based pieces for those who want more details: Non-Binary Students; Non-Binary “They” and Style Guides; Non-Binary Students and Pronouns (Infographic last revised 5/23/21.)