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Issue 1.2 - Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

2/4/2019

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Rebecca 


I wasn't popular in high school. In a Catholic institution filled with all things blond, tan, ambitious, and religious, I was the weirdo agnostic who dug combat boots and barely saw the light of a grade higher than C. My sole friend—a conservative, prim Brainiac—never viewed me as a misfit, however. I was her dear pal. A sleepover buddy. I was the person who snuck into a vacant girls' locker room at lunch to philosophize life and Tolkien with her, without the background chatter of a blustering cafeteria.  
 
Before we graduated, I made the risky choice to tell her that I was bisexual. I never had a crush on her, I said, but I wanted her to know the real me, whatever that was, before we journeyed our separate ways to college.   
 
A week or two later, she sent me a lengthy hand-written letter, the old-fashioned way: through mail. It was one of the most beautiful, raw, and compassionate things I had ever read, filled with unconditional love and support. I was floored. In my head, I whispered continual gratitude—a thousand silent thank-yous to whoever listened to my internal ramblings that I had, despite my prediction, not lost a friend.  
 
I tucked her letter in my bedroom drawer and vowed to the stars I would respond soon. But I never did. And I never saw or heard from her again. 
 
in the wind
a thousand apologies
​lost forever 

​*****

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    Tiffany
    ​Shaw-Diaz


    is an award-winning poet and artist living in Centerville, Ohio. To learn more about her, please visit: www.tiffanyshawdiaz.com. She can be found on Facebook (@tsdartist) and Instagram (@tiffanyshawdiaz). 

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HUMAN/KIND JOURNAL
​© COPYRIGHT  2018-2019.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Published in Wilmington, DE, USA.
ISSN 2641-628X

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  • HOME
  • Mission
  • Submissions
    • Regular Submissions
    • SPECIAL ISSUE Submissions
  • ISSUES
    • Issue 1.1
    • Issue 1.2
  • Contributors
    • Akane
    • Mike Andrelczyk
    • Jan Benson
    • Dave Bonta
    • Stephen Briseño
    • Morwen Brosschot
    • Sondra J. Byrnes
    • Erin Castaldi
    • Norman Darlington
    • Chris Dominiczak
    • Jacob Fowler
    • Joshua Gage
    • Mary Ellen Gambutti
    • Mark Gilbert
    • John Hawkhead
    • Tia Haynes
    • David He
    • Kyle Hemmings
    • Peter Jastermsky
    • David J Kelly
    • Nicholas Klacsanzky
    • Deborah P Kolodji
    • Kat Lehmann
    • Eric A. Lohman
    • Antonietta Losito
    • Carole MacRury
    • Marietta McGregor
    • Babs McGrory
    • Lori A Minor
    • Gautam Nadkarni
    • Kit Pancoast Nagamura
    • Ashish Narain
    • Réka Nyitrai
    • Laura Page
    • Marianne Paul
    • Madhuri Pillai
    • Bryan Rickert
    • Alexis Rotella
    • Agnes Eva Savich
    • Rich Schilling
    • Olivier Schopfer
    • Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
    • Sheila Sondik
    • Debbie Strange
    • Alan Summers
    • Rachel Sutcliffe
    • Hansha Teki
    • Julie Warther
    • Lucy Whitehead
    • ​Matthew Yates
  • Team
  • Reach Out
  • Resources