Below is the 6th installment of The Prism Pages that was featured in the January + February “Craft” Issue. Original poetry by the talented Daff Odil, Chelsea Gregory and Ashley Insong. Enjoy!
Die Today
BY: DAFF ODIL
I want to die today,
As I lie awake with hopes in my hands and dreams in my head, I say,
“I want to die today,”
Maybe it’s selfish but the gratification will outweigh every negative thought and overbearing dismay.
I want to die today,
If I could just run away maybe I wouldn’t have worried about death this way.
I sit empty headed with no real idea of my future, who am I? What can I be?
I want to die today,
Yesterday I was present in the world, what happened in just a day?
I want to die today,
People will shout “pray the gay away!” Why? It’s what makes me who I am.
Praying to a god who I do not believe in, to fix a “problem,” that has never been a problem.
I want to die today,
Then I thought about the future of the LBGTQ+, do I really want to leave knowing I’ve made no mark, no effort?
I want to die today,
I know I have a place in this world to establish and create,
to make memories and moments that will be captured for the rest of existence.
I did want to die today,
but now, more than ever, I want to be alive for tomorrow.
Brian
BY: DAFF ODIL
My Brian is beautiful and smart.
They are my secret keeper, story teller, and sometimes my only friend.
Brian has problems understanding things like: philosophy, discipline, perseverance, and intelligence.
These things don’t make my Brian less beautiful and smart, it just makes them unique.
Brian helps me through a lot of events, and is the one to thank for my creative abilities.
Though they make things difficult for me, I will always be grateful to have my Brian.
They sit in my head, just between my ears, every single day.
Daff Odil is a new AFAB drag queen in Memphis. They use poetry as a form of neurodivergent awareness, queer belonging and activism. You can find her wherever flowers grow and drag queens meet.
R.I.P. To Heterosexual Me
BY: ASHLEY T. INSONG
My sexuality was a million white doves locked in a cage
waiting to be set free during the funeral
Of my old heterosexual self.
Rest. In. Peace.
To everything I thought I was
and everything I thought I knew.
Ashley is a writer and creative at heart who enjoys writing poetry and creative nonfiction essays on love, her Filipina heritage, and her queer identity. She hopes to one day publish her work in a national publication but in the meantime, she teaches middle school children full-time. Originally from Hawai’i, Ashley is now located in Memphis, Tennessee..
Power
BY: CHELSEA GREGORY
Why do we uproot the weeds?
I’d be a weed any day,
Because they possess the power
To overcome the
Cultivated mindset
Of what beauty
Is.
Eco-Friendly
BY: CHELSEA GREGORY
She grabs me,
Hugs me tightly,
Kisses me softly,
Tells me she’s never had a connection like this,
Says that she loves me,
Calls me a good catch
….and then throws me away.
Damn, bitch.
You could’ve recycled me, at least.
Chelsea Gregory is a Memphis native. Pronouns are she/her. She’s a queer, hard-of-hearing, black woman. Her writings are centered around spirituality, love, and relationships. Instagram: @bychelseaelaine
