Charlie

Charlie (he/they) is  a trans-masc neurodivergent goober who relates to the world through poetry. He is a professional silly goose. They put a piece of their soul in every poem and talk about their mental health and other issues to show that people aren’t alone in their struggles and always have a voice. He’s been writing poetry since he was 12 and is a regular performer at Sad Poets Doorstep Club in York, England.

Goldfish

[TW: gender dysphoria, reference to self-harm, suggestion to suicide] 

I am a fish inside a Birdcage, 

Trapped in a prison and expected to be what I am not! 

A pretty bird that sings on command and happily lays eggs. 

Rather than a goldfish free to swim wherever he wants.  

This birdcage is a suffocating void, an unbearable darkness. 

It's no place for a fish. 

I tried to be a bird, spreading my wings, taking flight, laying my eggs, 

But I'm scared of heights, the sky isn’t the blue I need, and my eggs never hatched. 

I am a fish, but people keep calling me a bird. 

I tried to remove my wings, hoping for an injury that would take them from me. 

I tried to pick the lock on the birdcage and tried to cut my way out. 

But I’m still trapped.

Waiting for the day someone lets me out of this dark birdcage, 

Until then I’ll pluck my feathers, hide my wings, 

Longing for the water, and praying I don’t suffocate from the air not made for me. 

Did you know that if a goldfish is left in the dark for too long, it loses its colour? I don’t want us to fade away.