from ages 17 to 21, indigo evolved from a few lines about teen heartbreak into a secret diary through a poisoned introduction to intimacy and the trauma of life in a biologically female body.

the male gaze began creeping into my peripheral prior to adolescence— slowly making it’s way into the spotlight of my life. against my will, of course, but only at first.

that gaze would transform into the thorny bush where i sought shelter, and the stage of nails where i would perform for many years.

-dawna