Wordsmith
by Tina Pasadena
Illustrated by Scott Gandell

Elemental to my Essence, Books were my First Love
Magical and Mystical, the Conjure and Entreat
Diction and Syntax, Invoking a Visceral Heat
Language and Linguistics, Lingo and Lexicon
Contemplative Comfort when passion is gone

A Professional Procrastinator, reluctant to write
hesitant to dive down the rabbit hole,
and uneager to unpack the box marked Fragile

Exposed and vulnerable, it takes bravery and
madness to be a writer. Once released, that wisely
worded, meticulously edited text becomes
susceptible to interpretation, judgment, and
criticism; all the while, ready to be accepted,
embraced, and endeared. Speaking your truth is
complicated, but silence is oppression

Writing is a full body experience. You know you’re
doing it right when you start to cry; that’s when
you snatch up that wound and bare down on that
bitch. Dead bodies don’t scar, and stripes are
earned. Pen your own legacy, voice your own
narrative, cuz we gotta story to tell