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At Home in My Skin

I entered this blooming

amidst a mind field

of fuzzy flat gray.


In my gut, angst said

I didn't fit or belong anywhere.


I lived alone in that forest


On the brightest days,

darkness deepened there,

water dripped from leaves

to the ground in my core.


Seeds stirred

in my dark heart.

I felt a garden growing

inside, growing denser

and taller as I aged.


I navigated

the verdant jungle of my thoughts

for 61 springs.


From the tracery of trails

between trees and the

topographic music

of chittering, skittering creatures,

I emerged, knowing who I am,

who I've always been.


Nothing from my raveled backstory

compares with my kaleidoscopic

community or the vivid 3D feel

of how fucking fabulous

it is to be me.

Emily Moon (she/her) is a transgender poet from Portland, Ore. She is Editor at First Matter Press. Her book, It’s Just You & Me, Miss Moon, was published by First Matter Press prior to her taking on an editorial role. Her work includes appearances in or forthcoming from Pile Press, En*gendered Literary, Ethel Zine, Variant Literature, Full House Literary, Celestite Poetry Journal, Wild Roof Journal, Banyan Review, and elsewhere. You can find her on Instagram @Em.Z.mE and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Emily.Moon.57/

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