this was what i was given to work with
if we still heed words of dead white men
are we each of us not a stage, fretting in our performances?
the role assigned to me curves into stock-standard soubrette
does poetry not spring from the creativity borne of constraints?
what fantastical masculinities could i muster with breasts?
are we not all artists? all performing?
i used to woman so well

Ari (they/he) is a poet/gastronomy worker whose writing has appeared in SAND Journal, BOOTH, and elsewhere, and who has performed at the Alley Theatre, MONA, Glastonbury, and the Sydney Opera House. They are a 2025 Brooklyn Poets Fellowship recipient, and they pray for good tips in Berlin, where they have co-organized and hosted Berlin Spoken Word for five years.