The Word

Isaac Thornton

I am afraid of this word,

afraid of what the texture will be:

bundles of barbed wire and blades

or, worse still, like a lie

I have told and told

till it tastes like the truth.

 

I am afraid of this word,

afraid it is not for me,

an authorial choice that the fans

find tokenistic and too forced

for the character—an affront to

their communities.

 

I am afraid of this word,

afraid no one will see me as one,

no matter the oat milk latte orders,

the cropped t-shirts and sapphic novels,

the word for me will never

change from straight.

Author: Isaac Thornton (he/him) first fell for the written word when his third-grade teacher handed him a book to write in, and he has since gotten a (somewhat) better handle on it. In that time, he has written innumerable short horror stories and poems, which this statement proves were to a (somewhat) publishable standard. You can see some of his other work on his socials: @ikeandhisink.

Artist: Phoenix Sunrider (they/she) is an aspiring author with several works in the making. They love all kinds of animals, and add as many as possible into all their works whether that be high fantasy, magical realism, or even fan fiction. They currently have no social media platforms, but hope to develop some when more work is completed.

Edited by: Ashley Commens