If I didn’t have to
I wouldn’t work.
If I wasn’t solely responsible
for my keeping, I would do
all the same, things I do now,
but really slowly
and for free.
I would write
I would paint
I would learn
I would teach
I would hold space
for those in need
I would create beautiful
experiences and spaces.
I am fortunate. I know.
I get to live a life
that is eked out
of my heart and soul
my life lessons and
creative pursuits.
My work and life act as
an extension of all of me.
It offers me financial freedom
and a modest lifestyle
that is unrestrainedly
tension-free.
But if it wasn’t necessary
to provide for my living
I wouldn’t make it a business.
I’d do it all for free.
Perhaps, that is precisely,
what our feminist forebears
wanted for us.
To give us the gift
of freedom from under
the holding of men, by
offering us the option
to make our way
in the world.
Through the
tender graft
of our imaginations
and fingers.
Perhaps, had I not had it
I would wish for it as fiercely
as I dream of a life lived outside
of the capitalist systems.
Programming note
This newsletter has a paid version that I am putting on hiatus for the next couple of months or so. I need a little bit of space to pour myself into several moving projects at once and am unsure I can keep my promise to write to you 3-4 times per month during this period. It means that those of you who have subscribed won’t be billed until further notice and I’ll make sure to give you plenty of notice before I switch subscriptions back on, so you can choose whether you’d like to opt-out or not. I will still be writing to you, on spontaneous occasions, when our kismet muse visits me.
I feel you, Vienda 🕊️
And I am always happy to see you in my inbox
Good luck with your ongoing projects!