[elleinadnahanam]

Humans have a deliciously ignorant view on what it means to grow. We would rather discover than repair, build than rebuild. And in this penchant, we turn away from so many possibilities, because once we change our world in these ways, there is no going back.

[elleinadnahanam]

I love your work!! But I must ask, do you believe in love at first sight?

Wow, I’ve been gone a long time! I’m sorry if whoever asked this no longer comes here to see if I’ve answered.

But I’d like to answer anyway, because I think about this concept quite a lot.

Yes, I believe in love at first sight. I don’t think that it happens for everyone, and I don’t think that it happens a lot. I think many people confuse other, more temporary emotions for love, and when the transience of those feelings leads to heartache, it casts doubt on the possibility that the real thing could ever exist.

But for the lucky few, I do believe that it happens. Perhaps not in a chaotic, lightning-to-the-heart way, but a blink-twice feeling that this stranger is going to be something special. Like a very quiet magic, I’d assume.

So yes, I believe in it, wholeheartedly. To have seen and heard all of the strange and crazy things I have seen and heard so far in my life, and not believe in this—well, that’d be just silly.

[elleinadnahanam]

When it seems like the world is over / and sorrows roll in like the tides / make your way to the top of the hill / the one you looked to from the window of your old bedroom / stand there, stand still / beat your chest / scream real loud / look down / breathe / and watch the sun come up / again.

[elleinadnahanam]

She was like magic. She had a way of flitting  between conversations, activities, people, as if she was desperately trying to fit it all in, to maximize the moment. She talked a mile a minute, but she made you feel important. And, ever so slowly, I started to see myself with her, savoring the life that spilled from her lips and extended from her fingertips. She was a city unto herself, bursting with light and filled to the brim with ideas and movement. Nothing was dull with her, and everything was new.

d.e.m. // slow love for a fast girl

Poetry IG: @d.e.manahan

[elleinadnahanam]

hello again

it’s been a hot minute since i’ve posted any new work, which i’m wildly sorry about. to happier news: i graduated college wowza! i am also still duly working on my chapbook, so hopefully the writing stage will be mostly be finished by summer’s end. updates to come! 

[elleinadnahanam]

I live and breathe in pieces And I breathe you in in big gulps Like water to fill my fragile bones Echoes off the kitchen sink Divine intervention Bare-skinned intention And your voice to guide me home

d.e.m. 

[elleinadnahanam]

Top Ten Leaders of the Revolution

A list of women who have taught me that my voice matters and have inspired me to use it.

1. Malala Yousafzai. Younger than me and already braver than I could ever hope to be, she is the epitome of a strong woman.

2. Maya Angelou. Words are powerful; through them, she gave us all armor and swords.

3. Emma Watson. To recognize the responsibility that comes with fame and to use it to make a positive impact is a rare occurrence indeed.

4. Michelle Obama. I have never seen a warrior with so much grace.

5. Gal Gadot. She taught young girls that they have the power to be their own heroes, and for that, she will always be a real-life Wonder Woman.

6. Martha Hill Jamison. Justice in the Texas Court of Appeals. I spent three months interning for her chambers. She showed me women have a place in the law.

7. Kamala Harris. It takes courage to be the first.

8. Kandice Webber. Organizer of Black Lives Matter-Houston. My university once held a panel on women and change, where she reminded us that “it’s got to move you, because it’s going to be difficult.” I knew right then that I was going to remember those words for the rest of my life.

9. Rosa Parks. She was fighting the good fight long before the rest of us.

10. My mother. The strongest woman I know. She has always seemed to carry the world’s weight without falter. I owe her everything.

-d.e.m. // who are the leaders of your revolution?

[elleinadnahanam]

How could I have ever thought it was him? It's you, it's always been you.

d.e.m.

[elleinadnahanam]

there are many reasons why I shouldn’t think of you. but your eyes are so blue, and I can still feel the buzz of your hand on my waist. him— he was funny, and he talked up a storm. but you— you were kind. a quiet calm in the way you moved through the world; it settled my frantic heart. a gentle hand to keep me from floating away. there are many reasons why I shouldn’t think of you: the time between us, the space we share, her. but your eyes— they’re so blue.

d.e.m. // “blue”

[elleinadnahanam]

Do you ever just look at someone and think, “Someone is going to be so in love with you someday.”

d.e.m. // I’m sorry it couldn’t be me.

[elleinadnahanam]

If you think a girl is beautiful, tell her. If you think she is strong, or kind, or braver than anyone you’ve ever known, let her know. There is nothing wrong with giving people reasons to love themselves.

Maybe she needs it right now. Maybe she needs you.

d.e.m. // “Tell Her”

[elleinadnahanam]

I’m writing a chapbook!

Hello friendsters,

So I know I don’t mention much about who I am or what’s going on in my life, but I wanted to give you all a very exciting update about what I’ve been up to! 

This year, I will be graduating from college/university, and over the summer, I created a senior year bucket list, of things I wanted to accomplish before I left this chapter of my life. Most of them were silly or simple--visit all of the best coffee shops in my city, get senior pictures taken, try out 3 new bars--but the list included writing a chapbook.

This is mostly for me, I admit: I want to look at my desk a year from now, and see a tangible thing that I had done, see my writing all polished and pieced together in a way that encapsulates the changes I’ve been through. But this is also for you, and I will be releasing the chapbook in some shape or form once I’ve finished it.

So, for now, what I’d like to know most is if you all have any ideas for what this work should be. It’s all a very fluid idea in my mind right now, although I think my major themes will be growth, exploration, and female empowerment (lol what a millennial). If you have any ideas at all, or if there are particular pieces I’ve published on here which you think would be good for the chapbook, or if you would be willing to create art for my chapbook (which I desperately need as I am no artiste), please let me know!

Much love,

d.e.m.

[elleinadnahanam]

I read because there are many worlds to visit. I write because there are still worlds to create.

d.e.m.

[elleinadnahanam]

Music saved him, I think. I watched him on the train, how he swayed to a melody only he could hear. How, every so often, at the particularly good parts, his lips formed the words shamelessly, joyfully. His voice was beautiful. I can’t help but think about if he hadn’t had this, how much darker his world would have been. His arms swung freely out of cloth that frayed at the edges, feet tapped in shoes well-worn and at the end of their days. But his eyes, they were alive. He got off a few stops before me, disappeared into a backdrop of ramshackle buildings and far too few miracles. He left singing. And I couldn’t hear his song, but I could feel it. I think, for that moment, it saved me too.

d.e.m. // “Salvation Song” 

[elleinadnahanam]

I believe in letting things go–the wind will carry away all that cannot stand your gravity.

d.e.m.

[elleinadnahanam]

She can paint her lips in red and still fight wars. She may find power in the loose breeze of the dress she dons. Her weapons of choice are grace, and a quick wit. And while she weaves her hair with flowers, she fights with fire. Don’t be so quick to dismiss the strength of a woman simply because she prefers her legs smooth and takes the last name of the man she loves. She still fights the same fight; we all do.

d.e.m. // “She Still Fights the Same Fight”

[elleinadnahanam]

And I think it's a shame. Not that you didn't want me. But that you never even tried. You never asked me what I like to do on Monday nights when I'm home alone, or what kind of music makes me sad. You don't know what my passions are, who I keep close, or how I feel about the ocean. And who knows--maybe, if you had learned those things, you still wouldn't have wanted me. But who knows--maybe you would have.

d.e.m. // 8.31.17