Tag: coercion
When Mom stood by
Detecting abusers is a complex problem. Who is the real villain in the story? As a survivor of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse,...
Poem for my father
Did you enjoy hitting? My mother, your woman? Did you love shouting? That you never wanted us and to my mother Shut your cake-hole, you mental bitch? As though...
Waking up at Mom’s one month after the assault
“The name Remy is primarily a gender-neutral name of French origin that means Oarsman.” –babynames.com When I wake up the sun is out. Trump has elected himself. One sea has proliferated sweetly, as...
What needs to be said
What needs to be said that you haven’t yet talked about?” the woman from hospice looked at me. I suspected I knew but remained...
Essays in search of identity after cult, abuse
Part memoir, part essay collection, Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing is a fearless book.
On lack of consent
When he comes and shoves his lips against mine; a rock through an already fragile window, my interior crumbles, the bricks of a solid house shake, and the...
The importance of proper diagnosis
The medic asks me about symptoms after shining a light in my eyes, and having me track his finger with my pupil. Asks me if I’ve been...
An open letter from a survivor
To other survivors: You are not alone. Not now, not ever. Crawl if you have to, but keep moving forward in the knowledge that you...
Their kind of pretty
Beautiful? Yes, I know I am. Though, it took me years to take such compliments gracefully. Not because I don’t see my own beauty; my own worth. I...
Ghost stories
There's this trick to surviving trauma. You become a ghost. If you leave your body long enough, you can't feel anything. There's no exact...
Recommended Reading
The acknowledgement
I’m trying to be gentle with myself, but what if I never believe my body when it tells me what happened?
Have the time of your life!*
*Common side effects may include but are not limited to: harassment, stalking, getting drugged, passing out in...
To the fathers who do not abuse their daughters
On my street I am witness to the young men who carry the pink-flowered backpacks of little girls, who...
