Emotional Health – Page 3 – FEMININE COLLECTIVE

Bukowski

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 Gretchen Corsillo

Bukowski said, ‘What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.’ I feel like I’ve been walking through the fire for the last 22 years. Don’t get me wrong, I am privileged. I know others have it worse than me. But when your mind is the fire it Read more

Next Life

July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 Hannah Bagley

Sometimes I worry about my next life, Even though this one has just begun. I worry about the kids I fought on the playground, The forgive-me roses I threw in the trash, And how much I used to look down upon others Before life pushed me into the dirt. I Read more

Fathers

July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 Emily Algar

I give until I break I keep trying even though my mother tells me to let go. I thought I had you back After 7 years of hopes crushed, self-esteem broken I even tell you as much But then you’re gone again And my heart breaks in two just as Read more

Constellation of Pleasure: Only the Stars Can Hear Me

July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 DB Maddox

Chapter 1: Bloodguilt “You’re done with your period, right?” Elijah asked as he lit the candle on the nightstand beside his bed. It was already burnt down from use, but I knew better than to ask why. I wasn’t sure how to answer him at first. I had seen some Read more

DECLARATION

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 Angel Rosen

Are you getting a divorce? Are you a near-deranged insomniac? Is the woman of your dreams staying there, only in the dreams? Did your son complain of a stomach ache— the kind you only get when your father is leaving? Are you sick of leftovers? Barely eating, I assume? Alcohol Read more

Lust without limits

June 19, 2023June 19, 2023 Yvy Niyom

Frivolous beyond imagination, Sexy with wide intellect, I am lust with prejudice. Desires out of range, Caption with no words, I am a lust without limits. Puritan to the core, Raped by this earth, I am lust with rancor. Naturally siding with humanity, Moving shapes like snakes, I am lust Read more

Why I Can’t Stop Buying Things

June 19, 2023June 19, 2023 Hannah Bagley

As I looked down at the near-full perfume bottles, Shoes I haven’t worn since high school, Shirts that stopped fitting ten pounds ago, And dozens of pairs of panties, socks, and ripped hosiery, I realized why I can’t stop buying things—I don’t like myself very much. Paying for color analyses, Read more

For the Girl in Row 5

June 12, 2023June 12, 2023 Judith Staff

It’s easy money. Walk slowly, hands behind your back, checking no one is cheating. Up and down the rows of desks, quietly handing out tissues, pens. For a teacher of 5 year olds, exam invigilation with 16 year olds is a breeze. Some children look anxious, one girl is biting Read more