The Weight of Stigma By Tina Sawicki The only sound is the shuffling of feet and the birds crying above me. The sun gazes down, engulfing me in its warm splendour. I don’t feel the heat, as I am being softly fanned by my admirers. I am sprawled out in a full lounge chair, with my folds of flesh bared for all to gaze upon admiringly. The artist’s eyes light with adoration each …showed first 75 words of 2935 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2935 total…are different, such as the physically challenged, or the blind. It is beginning to teach us that we don’t have to comply with what we are “told” to be. It will take time and the strength of many to dissect the current ideologies and norms amongst us. Perhaps I can go back to my fantasy of being admired for my beauty rather than being shunned for my uniqueness. Only you can be the judge.