I wear sunglasses at night
it's too early to go to sleep
my eyes are on fire
and there's nothing I can do.
I've learned frustration
only leads to defeat
and I won't feel bad
about something I have
no control over.
I sit on the bed
with the lights off
waiting for my eyes
to stop crying.
It takes a few minutes
but slowly they begin
to calm in the dark.
I know eye drops
make my eyes
freak out more,
rubbing them
isn't an option,
and light makes
them itchy.
It's an itch
I cannot scratch,
a fire that only
goes out with time.
I watch,
make do,
adjust,
stay calm,
breathe,
and remember this
isn't the first or last
time this will happen.
And this fire won't
burn forever.
I patiently wait
for it to pass.
The sun has zapped all of my energy.
I’m a shell of a human being.
Where did I go?
To sleep in my thoughts
while my body leans against a couch,
staring at nothing in particular,
wondering what time it is with
no way to check.
Only the simple questions
remain, emotions have been
drained from the my body,
leaving every interaction
feeling less than fantastic,
it’s something I will regret
after I say leave for the night,
unsure if the impression
I left was the one I wanted..
For so many years, I lived in fear
of what other people have to say.
I was always afraid of what
could happen if I spoke my truth.
If I shared something, what
would people think?
What would they say?
What would the inevitable
response be?
Recently, I realized it
doesn't matter what other
people think.
If they support me,
they support me and
I appreciate the love.
If they don't, it says
more about them than
it does it about me.
Letting go of the boundary
I had created out of fear
gave me more love and support
than I ever thought was possible.
I learned that telling
my truth isn't as scary
as my anxiety tells me it is.
I can put myself out there,
still have anxiety, and
feel extraordinarily grateful
all that the same time.
I can take down the boundary,
do the thing I'm scared to do
while feeling the fear,
and appreciate the beautiful view.
Both things can be true.
— no context schitt’s creek (@nocontxtSC) June 26, 2021
With just 45% of Americans fully vaccinated and only 16 states that have fully vaccinated more than half of their populations, health experts are worried about the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. https://t.co/SmuldT6OuH
Sorry to that BookTok creator who didn’t want to read about lesbians, but she’s wrong. Here’s a reading list to remind everyone that lesbians have an important place in literature. https://t.co/Bcn0Ap0qmW
Five years ago, I began to explore
a truth about me I had buried
all my life. I'm gay.
When I was young, I didn't know
anyone who was gay.
I knew I was different
because I was gay.
And because being different
was weird as a kid,
I convinced myself I liked boys
because it was easier than
being different.
As a teenager, very few people
were out in my high school.
It wasn't like how it is now.
So I told myself I wasn't gay
and carried on like
I was like everyone else.
But I'm not like everyone else
and that's okay.
Three years ago, I began
coming out to my family and friends.
I was met with love and acceptance
from those who I told.
My mom even said she knew
before I told her.
The LGBTQ+ community is becoming
more accepted,
society is slowly changing.
Though we still have a
long way to go.
For me, pride month is a reminder
that it's okay to be myself.
That I don't have to live up
to anyone else's standards
but my own. And that's a
beautiful thing.
Happy Pride Month!!!
Sitting in the shade with Mikey
on the back deck.
I'm reading a book,
he's under my legs.
He looks so peaceful
drifting in and out of sleep.
I sip my chai latte
and watch pollen
float through the air.
One lands on my cat,
another lands on my dress.
I cover my cup to protect my drink.
Mikey wakes when birds chirp
or children scream.
An airplane flies overhead
that I cannot see.
Summer is approaching.
The warm air has returned.
I'm happy taking photos of flowers
and staying outside for hours.
This is when I can breathe
without worrying about
my lungs freezing.
I pay attention
while getting lost
in my thoughts,
it's a balancing act
I can never fully figure out.
Kelly Severseike 