Poem: Death Becomes The Trend

DEATH BECOMES THE TREND

There are endless ways to insult And hurt others easily It doesn't take much effort to push hate Constantly bombarding us

With Anti-Trans statements And harmful rhetoric that you pontificate I've been called so many names Too much for me to count Every day we feel this treatment's true impact Furthering the damage to

Our self-esteem and worth While dire mental health predictions become fact The Transgender rate of suicide Is forty-two percent An epidemic that's raging out of control Shame and isolation kills

The pain's too much to bear Overwhelming strain and stress swallows you whole The irony Trans people face

Healthcare that doesn't care It leaves us feeling empty, lost, and doomed Our lives are on the line and yet

The only help we get Puts a bandaid on your gaping open wound When the violence and harassment Finally reach a breaking point You've no options and you don't know what to do Your mental health just may depend

On Shakespeare's sage advice The time has come- society must 'tame this shrew' How many more Transgirls must die Before we see real change The suicides and murders have to end How can we live our best lives when

Those numbers show the truth Of our reality when death becomes the trend. Mikayla Cadger