looking at how far

i’ve come -

   i’ve survived so much

that wanted to kill me

and i’m stll struggling

to figure out why.

but i’m winning.

in a war

at the end of

the world,

one girl alone

routed the siege

in nine days.

they called her

a holy maiden

despite the fact

that death follows

wherever she goes

tied around her arm

like a tourniquet.

Chello Solaperto

More about the author: 

Chello Solaperto is a Trans artist working within the mediums of literature, performance art and media. Her poetry is an anthology that navigates coming of age through the lenses of gender, race and love. Chello works to imagine a better world and then creates it within her poetry, performance art pieces and film works. She has been featured at Macy’s Herald Square, WOW Café Theater and Sitting Shotgun Co. Her work has been honored at the Barcelona International LGBTI Film Festival, the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival and New Filmmakers New York. Her work can be found online in e-books People Called They and Still Not Male, as well as the anthology Written on the Body, available on Amazon. She completed a year at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before obtaining her Bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University. Chello is based in New York City. Follow her on instagram @itschello.