Tag: Poetry

The Mouth is an Open Grave

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

IT’S TOO COMPLICATED, THEY SAY

II. The Mouth is an Open Grave

You—who called me militant over a glass of wine,
You—who said I was too loud, too political,
who said that academic associations should remain impartial,
as if to study anthropology is not to see its ghosts assembling.

You—who snarled at me after a boycott motion,

who spat my name like a bullet,

said you were sick of my pro-Palestine ‘shit’,
as if grief should wear clean clothes,
as if rage should come whispering
apologies at your door,
as if I could soften my sorrow
to spare you discomfort—
you, who mistake silence for peace,
politeness for justice.

You—who told her to shut up,
shut up, shut up,
while the bodies were still warm,
while the smoke still gathered in their throats.

What does it mean to shut up
when the silence is already swallowing a nation?

As the Music Fades, the Storm Remains

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

As the Music Fades, the Storm Remains

The storm rages, relentless.
Not a crash of thunder, but a quiet, gnawing roar—
Thoughts splinter like waves against a shore,
each one demanding attention, each one refusing to fade.

I beg for silence, for a pause in the motion.
For the weight of my own mind to ease,
for the tides to settle, for breath to feel light again.
But peace is a mirage, slipping through my fingers
the moment I reach for it.

If the storm must stay, then what remains?
A longing, a whisper, a quiet ache—
A hope, however distant, that someday,
I will find comfort within the chaos.

—T.A.

I found my sugar daddy!

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

At long last, my poetry has paid off—not with literary acclaim, but cold, hard cash from a stranger on Tumblr. Who needs a Pulitzer when I have weekly direct deposits and a man who says he’s seen battle? That’s right, folks, I’m retiring to a life of luxury, sipping bargain-bin champagne while my benefactor spins tales of his heroic deeds in my DMs. Dreams really do come true. /s

Personal: Finding a Better Home for My Poetry

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

I’ve moved most of my poetry to Tumblr for more flexibility—Medium’s daily limits were too restrictive. Over half is already transferred, and formatting feels much easier. I’ll continue posting poetry on my personal site alongside personal stories, though I’m not sharing the link since those posts are deeply personal and part of my process of working through past experiences. Some of my more vulnerable poems haven’t made the move to Tumblr or Medium—I still prefer to keep them in a quieter space for now.