“Extraordinary Shapes” © Jordana Mayim
She Used To Be You.
if She were you,
She wouldn’t hesitate
to put her head on my shoulder,
to ask for my charger,
to dry all of my tears,
or to answer my texts.
She’d
hold me closer,
laugh a lot louder,
listen much better,
take pictures of clouds,
and get swept up in
every silly video i sent Her.
She’d send some back, too.
She would
jump at the chance
to see my new camera,
smile and laugh at all of my
bad puns,
and sing with me on the bus
all the way home.
home.
She used to be home.
now home has burned down
to the ground
and become a
scattered mess of memories,
of freckles
and chapstick
and long midnight
conversations;
of Her.
of me.
Gabby Ibrahim is currently a second-year student at the University of Toronto. They are specializing in Theatre and Drama Studies with minors in Dramaturgy and Creative Writing. Ever since they were younger, they have loved to write both poetry and prose, but since starting their post-secondary studies, they have discovered a newfound love of playwriting as well. Most of their works revolve around themes of identity, sexuality, and the struggles of growing up as a non-binary person in a restrictive society. They have been accepted into a few publications, such as a UoT Magazine called Slate (2021) and a self-published poetry anthology called Unravelled (2020). They also have written and directed plays throughout their university career, including Wherever We Go, Here Comes The Storm, and Fight or Flight.
Jordana Chana Mayim is a writer, illustrator, and backpacker, among many other things. She’s published two books, with two more on the way. In them, she shares all the light that travel and overcoming depression taught her how to see. At the tender age of six, she received her first clinical diagnosis of “abnormal” from a child psychologist. Since then, she’s learned how to reclaim her voice and define herself. Difference isn’t a disease. It’s the origin of existence.
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