i’m sorry i wasn’t born a man.

i’m sorry i pay for services i don’t use.

i call visa and spend twenty minutes opting out of this thing called balance protector that at some point i said yes to.

they give me a confirmation code and that code is CL030613.

i’m sorry i use every part of my body during acts of love.

i’m sorry i get sad sometimes and smoke too many cigarettes.

pray for me i am not where i am meant to be.

i am not whole.

pray for me, i went the wrong direction.

pray for me, i want to abandon my body. i want wings.

i tell the girl on the other end of the line that ‘i don’t get money.’

there is no freedom for a woman.

i’m sorry i disconnected myself from you, mom. 

i’m sorry i left the womb.

pray for me, i’m sorry i wasn’t born a bird.

—Ashley Opheim