United States Poetry Magazine

United States Poetry Magazine –

"To My Friend Who Was a Natural Disaster" by Isis Zystrid

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May 15th, 2026

Shakespeare's Pen 2025/2026 – Winner for UNITED STATES

To My Friend Who Was a Natural Disaster

by Isis Zystrid

It all began
With my propensity 
To give people 
The benefit of the doubt.
Yellowish flags versus orangeish flags–
I never want to write someone off
Too quickly.

When we sat on that bridge
I felt nervous,
Which I attributed to
My own tendency to be so.
Perchance I should pay
Closer attention.

The presses came out
That you had used
Your own being 
To harm others
In some of the most nefarious ways–
Ways I have experienced myself
By other hands. 
Not just one account,
But many
And thus
They became harder to refute.

I watched a documentary
About Hurricane Katrina
The week your truth 
Became lined with bile
To my ears.
I saw the civilians waiting
For help from helicopters 
On the roofs of their houses,
Filled with hope that just
Became misery.

There was a woman
With a five day old baby
Who was crying
Explaining to the reporter
That she hoped her baby was okay.
Watching you be ostracized 
On such a large scale 
Led me to my six year old self
Within me
Outcasted from the first day 
of kindergarten.

We had bonded 
Over feeling othered
And our own mutual issues
With belonging.
We were both neurodivergent weirdos
And fit together well
As fellow square pegs
In a round hole.

And as I recoil 
From your tales
Of becoming your own
Natural disaster,
I know that being outcasted
For being different
Is worlds away
From people protecting themselves
From harm.

I think of the PTSD nightmares
I've had of the demons in my life-
And how I had sat on your couch 
Drawing in my sketchbook
Not knowing
You had attributed things of the like
To several others.
I had fraternized 
With hands 
Similar to the snake’s venom
I myself had to recover from.

And so I sit on the roof
Of my apartment building
And know no helicopters are coming.
Others have to remain
Safe from mountainous tyrants–
And I have to comfort my six year old
Misfit self
Among the floods 
Of others.

About the Poet
Isis Zystrid resides in Shoreline, Washington, United States.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications on
Isis Zystrid's Artist Page.

This poem is featured in Legends of Shakespeare's Pen 2025/2026, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.

Keywords: unspoken truths, complexities

Previously published in United States Poetry Magazine:
By the River Piedra
by Ronja Vieth

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