Unbirthdays and Rebirthdays

K illed in the twilight of my life

I burned my corpse past its physical state

R unning far as phantom feet will carry

S lipped beneath the surface of a cool reflective pool

T oo late, spirit's past the point of no return

E mpty vessel floating home

N o one to mourn a fictitious character

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B uilding me from scratch

A ctualizing inner desires

I ntellectualizing pain, pressurizing to a gem like gleam

L eaving the known universe in my wake

E ating nothing but burnt birthday cake

Y elling from atop treacherously growing ice-coated peaks

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S inged feathers ruffle the air surrounding my fears

I magination soars, carrying me to my destiny

L ove, the only cure for pain of heart

V iable, only once I've discarded the pre-plotted map

E ternal forward motion the promise

R inging notes call out my new name

K.B. Silver

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A few years ago, I began using my middle name for various reasons, including moving past trauma and feeling more in line with my real gender identity as a nonbinary person. It was around the same time I cut my family out of my life, and I found it had a real positive impact on my mental health. I'm not changing my name again. Doing it once when I got married was stressful enough. So now I use K.B. for writing, and I go by Bailey in my everyday life.