My trans friends and I just want to go swimming
in cold water
without a thousand eyes watching.
to dunk our very own heads under
and feel as the breathing world
is wiped out.
to get an ice cream
from a van in the park
and watch it drip down the cone
onto our very own chipped nails
and not care about etiquette.
to go to a poetry night and celebrate
trans joy and feel euphoria.
to read poetry about our very own bodies
and it not be a eulogy.
to stand – not sit – in the shower
because I’ve slept through the night
and I want to spend a day where I’m not told
to tear myself apart at the expense of others.
to be allowed to exist
to wear dresses or
to shave our heads or
to be a caricature or not be a caricature
to be celebrated
to be praised for existing against all odds
to only be hungry for food.
to love one another
without sacrifice.
Elena Chamberlain is a writer and poet from England. El was longlisted in the Outspoken Prize for Poetry in the Performance category (2023), participated in Apples and Snakes’ Future Voices (2023) and Word’s a Stage (2024).