Anger

Is/Not
(i) of (ii)
Margaret Atwood

Love is not a profession
genteel or otherwise

sex is not dentistry
the slick filling of aches and cavities

you are not my doctor
you are not my cure,

nobody has that
power, you are merely a fellow traveller

Give up this medical concern,
buttoned, attentive,

permit yourself anger
and permit me mine

which needs neither
your approval nor your surprise

which does not need to be made legal
which is not against a disease

but against you,
which does not need to be understood

or washed or cauterized,
which needs instead

to be said and said.
Permit me the present tense.

Photographer: Ned Rosen of Louchelab & Louchelust

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During the shoot Ned asked me about where I felt joy (my eyes) and where I felt anger (my throat). This image was taken when I showed him how it feels when I'm angry. The constriction in my throat and overwhelming inability to speak. I have anger issues, I know that, and I'm working on being able to express my anger better, instead of just dissolving into tears. This image is one step in that direction.