Drifter
Simone C.
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“Drifter” is both an elegy and a love letter. As difficult as it has been for me to build my identity and feel as though I belong, journeying with myself, family, friends, and other mentors in my life was, and continues to be, a labor of love. Finding the courage to utter fear or anger or any rebuttal towards institutionalized expectations took me quite some time to put to words, yet feels so powerful. I wrote the first draft of this poem with my Mom and Nana in mind, who are both “passe-blanc”, and built upon their shared unease surrounding their racial, ethnic, and everyday identity. “Drifter” started for them, then metamorphosed into a therapeutic release for myself, and is now for anyone else: it’s a weathered life line for those that are feeling or have felt or fear they will feel like they do not belong.
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To me, creativity is the freedom to express myself in whatever way I please and in a way which brings me fulfillment. That being said, creativity is also an intimate experience that touches the deepest parts of me; in that way, creativity means fearlessly capitulating to my vulnerabilities.
