Life is not a linear journey. Everyday language often fails to encapsulate the depth of our emotional experiences. That is especially true for trauma survivors, who must find within the folds of an austere society fleeting sources of healing, empathy, and empowerment. While mending my own wounds as a survivor of a violent gang rape, I’ve found strength in focusing on my feelings at specific moments in time. These short poems are an attempt to recycle those moments as sparks of hope. We are all trauma survivors. We have all felt pain. Yet, we each possess the capacity to create a more resilient and compassionate world, if we find the courage to build it together. For more, follow me on Facebook or Instagram.
REPRODUCTION
It’s sad that
there are places
where a woman
has fewer rights
than a virus.
– Kris Coffield · September 5, 2021
VACCINATION DAY
Love is holding your hand as
the needle pricks your skin.
It’s okay to be scared.
I don’t like shots either.
But I would do anything to
make this world safer for you.
– Kris Coffield · June 26, 2021
A BETTER MAN
Even if I can’t give you the moon,
I will lift a million pounds,
do a thousand push-ups,
and run a hundred miles,
so that I become strong enough
to help you reach for the stars.
– Kris Coffield · June 23, 2021
SOULMATES
If her voice sounds
like soul music,
satisfy her hunger
like soul food.
– Kris Coffield · June 16, 2021
ATONEMENT
My mistake
lasted
for minutes.
My apology
will last
for a lifetime.
– Kris Coffield · May 19, 2021
MINIMUM WAGE
When she can afford date night
without jeopardizing her
grocery budget,
car payment,
credit rating,
studio apartment,
childcare connection,
emotional tranquility,
then it will be halfway to enough.
– Kris Coffield · April 3, 2021
HUMAN SACRIFICES
The women’s skin was porcelain,
easily shattered by scattered rage.
Little boys trained to see girls as toys
and spit on those who won’t submit.
Their fun is won with blasts from a gun,
and we vow to end our violent silence.
Yet slain remains will continue to stain
until race isn’t an excuse for rape.
– Kris Coffield · March 16, 2021
BEGINNINGS
Your most painful memories
are the armor you adorn to
face the uncertainty
of the new dawn.
– Kris Coffield · January 1, 2021
COMPANIONS
The stars are my friends.
Even on my stormiest nights,
they remind me to shine until
my light pierces the clouds
and scatters the shadows
away from the earth.
– Kris Coffield · December 11, 2020
FORWARD
Your shoulders bear witness
to battles that entire armies
lack the blades to fight.
– Kris Coffield · November 12, 2020
WE WILL RISE
Truth cannot be overcome.
There is no time in which
reality is too much for
humanity to endure.
Even in darkness,
the world turns onward.
Squeeze my hand.
We will run among
the earth’s revolutions.
– Kris Coffield · October 29, 2020
Kris Coffield 