The Total Femme

I have a lovely shiny stack of back issues of Sinister Wisdom: A Multicultural Lesbian Literary & Art Journal, such a gift that it’s still with us! The other day, I pulled the out “Lesbian Learning” issue to peruse. Edited by LB Johnston and Julie R. Enszer, it came out in Winter 2020. Imagine my delight at turning a page and seeing a poem titled, “Protect Your Femme!”

The poet, Shivani Davé, is NYC based, with a BA in biochemistry and an MA in teaching. In her bio, she says that she is “a queer femme educator, artist, and lover of plants, food, magic, and rituals of healing.” You can learn more at her instagram, @getyouashiv.

My favorite part of her poem goes:

protect your femme, they’ll tell you to tread water in the trauma and ride unconditional forgiveness to the crest, to forgo the high tides of healing and submit to appeasing.

Deep gratitude to Shivani Davé for her raw and vulnerable and hopeful poem! Thank you, Shivani, for loving yourself and other femmes so much, and for the healing love you dispense.

Every Friday, I showcase a queer femme goddess. I want to feature you! Write to me at thetotalfemme@gmail.com and let me shine a spotlight on your beautiful, unique, femme life! If you’ve written a femme story or poem or song, oh, please let me post it!

At the Total Femme, my intention is to post three or four times a week: Meditations for Queer Femmes on Monday, Pingy-Dingy Wednesday on Wednesday, Femme Friday on Friday, and (new for spring 22!) the occasional Sometimes On A. Rather than play catch-up in a stressful fashion on those weeks when life prevents posting, I have decided to just move gaily forward: if I miss a Monday, the next post will be on Wednesday, and so on. Thank you, little bottle of antibiotics for inspiring me in this! (“…if it’s almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Don’t take a double dose to make up for a missed one.”) And…as I go through life life life, I will post as I am able, Mabel.