falling water swirls
her mind follows its heartbeat
she flees the vortex
I think of this haiku as a companion to the flash fiction piece I wrote for The Drabble. It’s only 97 words so check it out here if you haven’t read it. #foreveryes
Neither of these pieces is meant to suggest or advocate suicide. It wasn’t until someone asked me if “she” killed herself that I realized how easy it is to have that interpretation. To me, both this and #foreveryes are about taking back your power. Turning away from those attempting to control your choices. Claiming Your Life.
But as I reread them I see my anger and sadness and fury and frustration. And I shouldn’t be surprised. So often these days, I find myself feeling overwhelmed by it all. Choking. As if I’m being force-fed a steady diet of misogyny and racism and hate. And every time I try to use my words to go directly at the issues, I get bogged down. But … clearly my emotions are peeking through. And that, I think, is a good thing. Anything that pushes it out so it doesn’t choke me is a step forward!
Anything that helps put this into the trash heep of disgusting ideas! 
So … “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum”
#IBelieveSurvivors
#WhyIDidn’tReport
Tina Stewart Brakebill 