Poetry and art by Theo Hendrie

Content warning: descriptions of dysphoria, skulls.

Transtrender

No, I wasn’t born in the wrong body,
this body has been my home since the day
I was born. And sure, I haven’t always loved it:
there are scars on my walls to prove that. I’ve let
the damp settle in and the attic’s a mess.
Some days I feel like setting fire to the whole
thing and starting again. But this body isn’t wrong, it
has kept me safe and sheltered all these years.
So I redecorate. I paint the walls with tattoo ink,
I retile the roof in cobalt blue. I make this body
mine. And if you think that makes me a trend
then that’s okay – you’re not the one who has to
live here. See, I wasn’t born in the wrong body:
I just need to make a few changes to this one.

Digital art of a white skull with their mouth open and the transgender symbol positioned on and in their head. White text on the black background reads 'It's not all in your head ...'

About the artist

Theo Hendrie (he/him) is a 21-year-old transmasculine poet, artist and digital content creator with a BA in Creative Writing. His motto is “queer to the bone” and this shows throughout his work. You can find him as @genderpunktheo anywhere on the internet.