Art by Rajesh Saraswati & Mustafa Hammad
deepen ur wounds
it’s like u held apocalypse in ur hands;
all the green grief.
trying to rush through it,
bracing for cascades of epiphany
to drench u with sorrow
when you ran out the cave.
trying to pass on loss to someone else
but you must know
that pain cannot be passed on
and neither can the growth
you experienced from it.
u look at me as your own daughter,
tears in your eyes,
and tell me that in order to heal
i’ll have to deepen my wounds.
palpitate
four chambers of the heart
four phases of my life
abuse, trauma, abuse, growth
open and close
grow and flow
with each swell
i get a little closer
toward where it hurts
give yourself a self
love demands time
to break borders and
to build bridges.
so give yourself time and
the honour to love.
so give yourself the care
to love your own soul
and oneness of existence.
i feel tangibility in emotion
in my heart and in my mother’s heart
and the many hearts of women
before us whose histories are erased.
we have always been building
a destiny coalescing
the soul with
the metaphysicality
of growth.
through our labour,
through our love,
through our sorrow,
and through our joy.
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Image description:
Three femmes of color are kneeling down. Two of them have an arm raised, long nails curled around a fist. The person on the right is wearing two long braids, blue lipstick, and a pink dress. The person has long curly hair, except where buzzed on one side, and is wearing a green dress. The other femme is in the center, one hand on their chest, while raising a finger with their other hand signaling. They have long hair and a tank top with kneeless jeans.
About Rajesh Saraswati:
Rajesh Saraswati is an illustrator based out of Northern California currently creating comics and apparel. See their art at art-twink.tumblr.com or on Instagram or facebook under the same name.
About METAL FEMME:
metal femme is a queer trans south asian artist invested in deconstructing various neocolonial, imperialist traumas through radical healing and love. metal femme is a survivor and an eventual victor. You can find her on twitter @shezdying and instagram @metalfemme
Lighting candles, burning sage, going to therapy, accessing medication, praying, giving offerings to the ancestors have all been ways that I heal at the intersections of my beautifully complex existence.