Poetry Entry 5: Kin of the Month

                      

I was inspired to write this poem today because I was thinking about why I kin so many different male characters, and how last year that helped me to come to realize that I was a transmasc person rather than just nonbinary. For some people, kinning isn't that deep, but I feel like for some of us when we say "I kin them" we are saying a lot with a few words.  

Kin of the Month

What is the essence of these men

that captures my heart's attention

and my brains' intense focus?

Surely part of it is gender envy.

I desire their dark, scruffy hair,

lanky libs, five o'clock shadow,

soft yet deep voices.

Do I relish their successes 

as gods, heroes, detectives, babysitters?

I relate to their questioning,

their struggles on the heros journey

as they find their place in fantastical worlds.

They are the mirror, reflecting back to me

my inner, true self.

They represent my future,

a comfort during a time of transition.

Peter Parker. Dream of the Endless.

Bucky Barnes. Will Graham.

Spencer Reid. Anakin Skywalker.

Steve Harrington. Adrian Chase.

Ben Wyatt. Din Djarin.

As I claim my comfort characters,

pieces of myself long denied I also claim:

masculinity, strength

relationships, humor

confidence, autistic joy.

To express all this emotion and love I say:

I kin him. 

Art Entry 2: Nature's Pride Flag

Title of Artwork: Nature's Pride Flag

 Back during Pride Month I led a special hike to celebrate diversity in conservation at my job. One of the projects I did with my adult class was have everyone take photos during the short hike, challenging them to try to get all the different colors of the rainbow so that we could create a rainbow using their photos. 

Later after the class, I assembled a combination of photos I took and the participants' who shared photos. As you can probably see, some colors are much harder to find during a Pacific Northwest Summer than others, particularly blue which I was lucky to spot tiny blue flowers near the pond. 

Did you spot the only lifeform in the photo? I couldn't resist including a yellow bee as bees are one of my favorite living creatures. 

At the end of the hike, I also passed out a brochure I had made about various Queer Environmental Leaders who have contributed to the environmental movement overall, science, or environmental justice. As a queer environmental scientist and educator myself, I have always been drawn to the diversity in nature and how that is reflected back in our human communities, as we are a part of nature.

Many of the people in the brochure below have blogs, books, social medias, scientific papers, or organizations where people can learn about the work they have done and that is why I chose them to be highlighted. There are many more passionate, brilliant Queer Environmental Leaders for us to learn from. 

Poetry Entry 4:

Photo Source: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/timeline/index.html

One book that I really enjoyed reading during the winter last year was The Wakeful World: Animism, Mind and the Self in Nature by Emma Restall Orr. Let's just say this book made my brain hurt sometimes, my curiosity stir, and supported my already growing appreciation for the ways mutuality governs life. It was while reading this book that I was inspired to write the poem below on Nov 5, 2021:

Dust 

I am a part of something larger than myself

Because an infinity of individuals

Make up this body I call ME.

This SELF I claim is really a WE.

A community of cells, bacteria,

Atoms, flying electrons.

Together we are a me,

Both human and more-than-human

Existing in a sea of other selves

Fluctuating in patterns

Of order and chaos

Interacting through relationships

Communicated via energy.