Elizebeth Turnquist
autodidact. artist. author. atheist. feminist. fat. nerd. geek. wierdo.
Sunday, February 28, 2021
not us or them
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Stubborn self-esteem
Saturday, February 6, 2021
Voices in the electric void
Sunday, January 31, 2021
let's skip romance
Saturday, January 30, 2021
men don't get it
Monday, January 25, 2021
#chronicillnesswarior
Sunday, January 24, 2021
#womensupportingwomen
Monday, January 18, 2021
all the years
Friday, January 15, 2021
Clique
Thursday, January 14, 2021
a plan calms me
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
a day
Saturday, November 14, 2020
wishing I was a comet
We all ask this
At one time or another
Sometimes this answer comes swiftly
Easily based on my sense of self
"Who am I to them?"
That's a tough question
I swirl around the question
Like a planet in orbit
Hoping I can become a comet
Break free from painful confusion
Because the Sun is doesn't answer
It's a taciturn "them" that won’t say
Even if I ask directly
So, I live comfortable in myself
But uncomfortable in the world.
Saturday, November 7, 2020
embracing the label
I have to choose to be a winner
But who am I trying to impress
Who gets to decide the rules
What if I'm an independent thinker
What if I decide not to compete
Instead, can I live the label
Can I defy the game they're playing
Accepting some might call me a looser
Because I'm happy being my weird self.
Monday, October 26, 2020
happy to say i walked away
Group think makes them infectious
One bad apple spoils the bunch
One mean girl sets the tone
When ladies gang up, I don't take part
If a friend is cruel, I rethink that friend
I may not fight for what's right
But I don't put up with what's wrong
My silence and absence is active
Being right can be lonely
But I won't let ugly infect me
I'm brave enough to walk away.
Monday, October 19, 2020
three boys
Saturday, October 17, 2020
feelings together
letting myself cry
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
hold my hand in the aftermath
Friday, September 11, 2020
fat hurts less
Monday, August 24, 2020
all my jiggle
Thursday, August 20, 2020
everyday love
Sunday, August 9, 2020
flawed snowflake
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
sweet parting ways
Friday, July 17, 2020
your anger is not mine
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
good not great
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
theory into practice
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
yearning for new grass
Saturday, June 13, 2020
people change for themselves
Sunday, June 7, 2020
personal apocalypse
Friday, June 5, 2020
not on the picket line
Saturday, May 23, 2020
liar liar
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
not my tantrum
Saturday, May 16, 2020
supporting cast
Thursday, May 14, 2020
a biased animal
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
putting aside anger
toxic masculinity
quietly defiant
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
no life taken
Friday, April 24, 2020
not made for immortaility
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
not always a hero
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
an hour more sleep
Monday, April 20, 2020
I wanna believe in people
Friday, April 17, 2020
Are men monsters?
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Coping
Friday, April 10, 2020
no other version of me
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
the trump ideology
Monday, April 6, 2020
Introvert pride
To my lack of social game
Extroverts play loose
Introverts keep it tight
The many worlds inside
There is never enough thought
To keep our attention caught
Sunday, April 5, 2020
communication connundrum
Saturday, April 4, 2020
allergic to the world
Friday, April 3, 2020
not hero or villain, just human
Thursday, April 2, 2020
you are not me
Shared Fear
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Nothing special here
Am I a cog in the machine?
I was raised to believe in special
That we all want to stand out
The each of us has value
But in a unique way
And yet I am finding comfort
In my simple everyday
I am not shiney or special
My life is dwindling away
As a tiny component of the whole
My perspective may be different
But my actions are mundane
A supporting member of the chorus
Nothing to be seen here
I've faded into grey
My life isn't over
But it is unexpected
That I blend in.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Compassion instead of blame
You can't propagate compassion
By defining an enemy
The problem with us vs them
Is the barrier it errects
Sometimes you have to see
Through the eyes of priveledge
To understand how to advocate
For the rights of disenfranchised
Admitting that they are losing something
To equalize the playing field
Can be a part of the strategy
To bring them on board
To make us all into us.
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Not mine to inflict
Choosing not to ingest unplesantness
Means bad behavior doesn't earn my ire
There is no gain in me inflicting pain
That only teaches others to inflict
It's not mine to inform your life
I can leave, you have to live in you
Shrugging off your look of disdain
My smile comes with me as I turn away
The world is full of choices
And unhappy is certainly an option
But the small rewards in a random smile
Are so much more my style
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Terrible artist
Sometimes persistent
Often patient
Compulsively creative
But not really good
My audience is me
I do cause it feels good
The act of art comforts
The journey is my goal
Yeah, I'm productive
Prolific even
But I don't practice
I don't improve
Not trying for better
Don't care to compete
Not studying masters
Or seeking the masses
I share my art
Like a child showing off
Look at my ugly creation
See the joy it brought me
If you find value
I feel good to share
If you feel distain
I'm not sure I care.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Poor old white men
I'm trying to remember my compassion
As I see your priveledge torn from you
You're knocked down a few pegs
Made equal with those you lord over
Like a spoiled child used to having it all
Suddenly you are forced to share
And that can feel so unfair
But your feeling is a reaction
To sudden equilibrium
The adjustment to a new normal
May feel uncomfortable (for you)
But it is deserved (for us all)
And you will adjust (in time)
What we take from you wasn't yours
It is proper and fair for you to share
So I feel empathy for your angst
But also ritcheous in the outcome.
Friday, December 14, 2018
Not my business
What's said behind my back
Isn't my business
I don't choose to carry anger
Or bitterness in my heart
I can't stop what you think
Anymore than I can guess it
And it isn't my business to know
Unless you are willing to speak up
Its my choice to listen
When criticism is brought to me
But I also choose to decide
If I find truth in those words
When what you say isn't my truth
I chose to stay true to myself
Regardless of what you think
Self regard may not win me popularity
But it makes being alone more bearable.
Not truths
Two faced liar
Peddling half truth
Making passing assurances
Just to shut me up
The lies you tell to others
Disprove the lies you tell me
I see the truth in your actions
Patterns of behavior betray you
I don't understand
The point of your position
How is it you don't learn
Each new time you get caught
Messy webs you weave
Get tangled by your actions
You try to worm your way out
Slither past the mess you've made
Somehow you aren't fazed
As you go on to lie another day.