Leonard Cohen

I’ve been getting into Leonard Cohen lately,
and it makes me think of you.
You were the first person to introduce me to him
with You Want It Darker
all those years ago.

This might sound crazy
given the trauma you caused me,
but sometimes I feel like
the greatest tragedy of your transgressions
was losing you as a friend—
a choice I had to make
in order to heal.

It’s the fact that I can’t reach out to you today
and tell you how right you were about Cohen:
”I’m really starting to get it now—
he truly is incredible.”

Sex Dreams IV

This poem is an excerpt from a series of poems about dreams of preventing and healing trauma and creating a better culture around sexuality.

—————-

My deepest sex dream
is that one day
we will create a world
in which it is safe for
women and girls
to discover and explore
their sexuality
without fear
of physical
or reputational
danger.

Bat-Shit Crazy

Looking back on our relationship,
sometimes I wonder
if you really hurt me
or if I was just bat-shit crazy.

My conclusion?
I was bat-shit crazy.

But that doesn’t mean
you didn’t hurt me.

__________________________________________________________

Note from the author: Just wanted to remind anyone who needs to hear it that there is no “perfect victim” of trauma. Even in light of your imperfections, your pain is valid. ❤