Artwork © Eric N. Peterson

 

Shame is the eyes of the woman watching me pick out clothes.
          Sharp blue they prickle my skin
Humiliation is the cloth mask I put on when I enter Sephora
          Pale lavender folds that hide my darkened upper lip
Contempt is the mirror that I try my skirt in front of
          A dirty yellow that deepens the bags around my eyes
Guilt is the smudged ink marking F on the form
          The black solidifying my lie to the world
Fear is the bitten lip when I introduce myself
          A blanched white stops them from saying something rude
Disgust is the sound of my deep voice reverberating in my chest
          Green lines that descend lower and lower on my phone screen
I have no Pride in what I am

 

Aida Tsai is a student at the University of Maryland studying physics and computer science. She enjoys writing poetry in the moments between failed experiments. Her poetry touches on themes of change, loneliness and the other.

Eric N. Peterson is from Atlanta, Ga. He’s been drawing cartoons all his life. He leans towards the absurd, imaginative, and the surreal, as that’s where all the flavor is.