It Hurts Because It's Supposed To

words to carry in your pocket

These collage images were created with elements and templates accessed via Canvas Pro

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Dear friends,

I haven’t written as much as I wish I could’ve so far this year, and I haven’t made much art either. To tell you the truth, I’ve found myself processing pain that is both deeply personal and profoundly collective, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this

And I think for many of us, processing this collective pain can feel like we’ve been left very deeply alone.

A lot of these days, when I wake up and see myself in the mirror, I’m not sure if I have anything important to say. It’s like I’ve lost my sense of being able to use my voice to advocate, and like my advocacy should only happen quietly- where no one else can see it or hear it. A silent place where no one else can stop me.

These days I find one clumsily worded lengthy sentence recurring in my notes:

the reason it hurts is because it's supposed to

It hurts because the pain is a call to take action, a call to pay attention, and when possible, it’s also a call to repair.

This is also a phrase I feel like I’ve been carrying in my pocket, to avoid getting confused about if things are really as bad as they are.

But the pain always comes from somewhere real, even if it’s not what’s directly in front of me.

I hope these words can help you too, and be ready for you when you need them.

Warmly,

I. S. Bashirah

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I. S. Bashirah is a multi-award-winning poet and an alumna of the University of Waterloo. She was awarded the English Society Creative Writing Award for Poetry at the University of Waterloo Department of English Language and Literature Awards Ceremony in 2023. In 2024, she was also awarded the Albert Shaw Poetry Prize. Selected works include “my grandma, so clean” and “What Will People Say?”