current mood: waning crescent

Ivy L. James
 

I wax and wane

like the moon,

rise and fall

with the tide—

each season ushers in

a new version of me,

           happy

           sad

           manic

           depressive—

and though I’m not sure why,

you love each phase,

which says more about

how generous you are

than about

how lovable I am.



Ivy L. James wrote her first story on Post-it notes as a child. Since then, she has graduated to regular paper and enjoys writing inclusive romance, short fiction, and poetry. Her work has appeared in the Stygian Collection (Stygian Society), Seers and Sybils (Brigids Gate Press), HerStry, Snowflake Magazine, and Scavengers Literary Magazine, among others. Ivy does not suffer from but is in fact proficient in bipolar II disorder, sensory processing disorder, and social anxiety. She lives in Maryland with her wife and their corgi, cat, and two snakes.