By: Sydney Ellison ’24,

Welcome  back for our premiere Spring edition of  Wordplay! In this issue, we will be featuring the work of Skye Newhall (they/them) ’24. Skye is an English Literature and Linguistics double major, with a minor in Classical Languages. Skye hails from Salem, Massachusetts and just returned from studying abroad in Dublin last fall. I asked Skye to describe a little about their piece, “What Are You?”, which they so graciously shared for us today:

“This poem was inspired by The Song of Amergin which is an ancient litany poem about Ireland. Rather than writing about the land, I chose to write about myself and my identity, particularly my identity as a trans-non-binary individual. Trapped in the binary ideas of masculine and feminine, this poem attempts to explore those heavy feelings and uplift those who don’t necessarily fit inside them. “                      -Skye Newhall

Enjoy!

 

“What Are You?”

By: Skye Newhall

I am muddied knees

I am pure, pristine, and clean

I am unbrushed hair

I am ringlets and hairdryers

I am hand-me-down swim trunks

I am too tight, too small, bikini lines

I am his unclimbed tree

I am the book she reads beneath the tree

I am superheroes and videogames

I am princesses and mermaids

I am bound breasts and tight tucks

I am out of body, detested body, and nobody at all

Who washes clean the bloodied knees?

Who dries eyes and cradles the lost boy until she sleeps?

Who will tell her, who will finally tell him

that they are Freedom’s dream?

---

The Words thanks Skye for graciously sharing their work with us!