11/20/2024
This is an original poem by Jadyn Nichole Kilmon of Richmond, Ky. This is not a work to be enjoyed, but felt. Jadyn wrote this poem as a description of the adversity trans women face. “I wish for the reader to feel the whirlwind of emotions transgender women face regularly. The slurs and intensity are important for the audience to understand what we (trans women) experience. The poem is generally about trans women and some of my own realities as a trans woman. Later parts of the poem, tell the stories of two real trans women who perished from violence: Islan Nettles and Bri Golec.”
“Her”
The world is so much better now,
Or so she is told,
A statement so false and bold,
Step into her Stilettos,
Instantly enveloped in slurs,
Of Slut, D**e, Tr**ny,
These words are getting old,
Never truly going away,
She is inevitably struck down,
By the cruel remarks they say.
Her face is bashed,
Is that shade of red her lipstick,
Or stains of crimson blood,
His only concern is others,
What they may say,
As she is not perceived as a chick,
Merely a “tranny”.
Fear and Insecurity fueling her to,
Never leaving home without a painted face,
Wishing to blend in,
Instead of being glanced upon as a disgrace,
Aware of the stares and harassment,
She may face if she fails to “pass’,
Yearning to live without her dignity,
And identity tainted.
If that’s not enough,
She is oversexualized,
Simply an object,
While he only desires to pound her ass,
Once fantasies are fulfilled,
She no longer exists,
Discarded like disgusting trash.
“Daddy, Don’t do this”,
She screams to the man,
Meant to love her unconditionally,
Watching her learn and grow bigger,
Betraying her with a pull of a trigger,
She can no longer shout,
As the man who brought her into this world,
Depravedly takes her out!
Whistles and catcalls flow out of his lips,
Captivated by the sway of her hips,
She is not the woman he assumes her to be,
Rage replacing lust,
As he discovers reality,
Embarrassed to be ensnared by ambiguity.
He snaps and strikes,
Her down,
Just disgust manifesting,
Into blinding hate,
Resulting in his blatant frown.
Her breaths stifle,
Until she no longer breathes,
All because of hands beating,
Mauling, breaking and killing her,
All the world does is stare,
Not stopping to care;
Truth is she is already dead,
A colored “tranny” deceiving a man,
Who has all the rights,
Her death became a forgotten plight!
She mattered,
They all possessed beauty,
Decimated and immolated by,
Incessant ignorance and fears,
She was a daughter,
A sister, A friend,
Now leaving those who loved them to grieve,
Yet their feminine presence,
And bravery to be themselves,
Never disappear,
In the end,
There is Always her.
-Jadyn Nichole Kilmon
Jadyn Nichole Kilmon is a 34 year old woman with a transgender identity. She is originally from a rural community called Hestand, Kentucky in Monroe County. She currently lives in Richmond, KY. She graduated from EKU in 2015 as an honors scholar majoring in Comparative Humanities with minors in Studio Art, Psychology and Women & Gender Studies. She is a poet, artist, and human rights activist. She is a board member of the Gallery on Main in Richmond, KY. A lot of her poetry and art often speaks on sexuality, gender identity, and women’s rights.
