Why am I deemed subhuman by those outside my community?
Why am I deemed invalid by most inside my community?
If I was to present as a cis straight woman, I am safe in my hometown
If I was to transition to a trans man, I would be lauded a king
What if I don’t want surgeries that pull the skin from my thighs?
I really like my thighs
What if I want a flatter chest, but not in a feminine way?
The back problems themselves are a horror
What if I don’t want hormone injections or to wear heels with the no-show socks?
What if I am ironically comfy in a newsboy cap and form-fitting tank-tops?
Can a person be outside of the norm in more ways than one?
Can I be included in lesbian talks, and sometimes be called “boyfriend” or “son”?
What if I understand menstrual pain and fight for women’s rights,
While half of the time wearing cologne and sporting geeky ties?
What if I anecdotally understand how clueless men can be,
While at the same time let out a “girlish shriek” seeing Halsey on my screen?
I couldn’t even write this without explaining in terms of binary
Stereotypical gender rules that endlessly try to forever bind me
Bound to a norm one way or another
My soul fighting to rise above and find embrace from similar others
A dial turning on an infinite spectrum that determines that I sadly see
Most people on either side of the fence don’t know what to make of me
link to video
Taylor Kovach is a transgender poet residing in Riverview, Michigan. They hold a Psychology BA from Michigan State University. One can peruse their work forthcoming in The Globe Review, The Mid-Atlantic Review, Snowflake Magazine, Oddball Magazine, Iamb Literary Magazine, Raising the Fifth, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, Literary Heist, Redrosethorns Journal, Bread and Butter Magazine, Joyfully Wondrous Magazine, Stone of Madness Press, Reels: Cinematic Poetry, Sorry! Zine, and Aurtistic Zine. Self-taught in the medium of the poetic arts that spans more than a decade, this artist keeps their work far from close to the chest.
As a born storyteller and bleeding activist in their family and community, they voice to their readers stanzas evoking their sanguine collection of adverse life experiences. Themes of intense loss, maternal horrors, relationship abuse, sexual orientation, gender discovery, poverty, mental health, social justice, and those she holds dear prove that Kovach doesn’t stray away from introducing the reader to the darkest emotive depths of their endurance.
