Welcome to Saturday Workshop!

As a refresher, on Saturdays, I invite everyone to turn the comments into a workshop space. Everyone is welcome to post their responses to every prompt, but these Saturday responses are the only ones I can guarantee I’ll respond to. Also! On Saturdays, I include my response to the prompt as well.

If you decide to participate (which I hope you will) please keep our Workshop Best Practices in mind.

Journey Poetry

For today, I want you to write a poem about a journey. A physical journey, an emotional journey, a spiritual journey—it doesn’t matter. Write about growth, or change, or reaching a destination.

My Response

I realized today
—standing in my bathroom staring at the mirror—
I have reached a breakdown I didn’t know I was hurtling towards.
I know I shouldn’t bind with ace bandages,
been told enough times,
“That’s how you cause permanent damage.”
It is difficult,
listening to that argument
when all I want is to peel these breasts off my chest with my fingernails.
Permanent damage.
What damage do these bindings cause to those like me?
Done growing. Mature.
With two ace bandages and my binder I am almost flat enough,
to look as if
—with a baggy sweatshirt—
my boobs might be moobs.
I’ll take moobs. I’d prefer pecs, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Right?
What is it they say about having your cake and eating it too?  
I realized today that having my gender identity
handled—under control
just meant I had found a medium ground that worked, ish,
that didn’t make you too uncomfortable,
and kept me marginally sane.
I feel like the dyke-boy, with my finger in a dam.