BIRTH

IN THE MORNING
IN A HIGHRISE
BY THE BAY IVE
NEVER SEEN

THEY RIPPED HER OPEN
WE BOTH SUFFERED

THEY THOUGHT I DIDNT HAVE
KNEES MY LEGS WERE
SO ERECT

I SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER
I AM HERE

About Iona Tan

Iona Tan (she/her) is a queer woman of color. If she had to check a box it would be mixed/Other/Asian-diasporic. She currently works at an advocacy/policy-based organization as a content coordinator, and is exploring integrative health and Traditional Chinese Medicine both personally and professionally. She enjoys yoga, heavy metal, semiotics, collecting tattoos, and making collages.

“My submission is a photo-poem titled BIRTH: the first time I breathed, the first time I hurt, the first time I used my voice.“