Storm Shelter

(Image: Digitally-drawn illustration of a northern saw-whet owl taking shelter beneath a cluster of oyster mushrooms growing on a tree in the midst of a rainstorm. King boletes and morels (other types of edible mushrooms that can be found in Montana’s woodlands) sprout nearby, and the water droplets cascading off their caps reflect the rainbow hues of the clearing sky beyond.)

This is Stígandr, a little wanderer whose adventures I'll be sharing more of in the future! 🦉

This illustration is true-to-life: saw-whet owls really are tiny enough (around 20 cm long when full-grown) to be able to take shelter under mushrooms when the spring rains break over the woods. The tawny colour of this one’s breast feathers marks them as an adolescent, just beginning to explore life beyond the nest. Montana is a beautiful place, but not always a safe one, and sometimes the storms are severe.

My whole world has felt like a rainstorm, recently. We protect ourselves as best we can, but even when we do everything possible, the water still seems to seep in at the edges, and sometimes someone else makes a big, cold splash that drenches everyone in range. That’s a lot like how it feels to be transgender, right now, and every time someone suggests I “take a break from politics,” I find myself wondering what it’s like to have the privilege to do that. “Storm Shelter” is my Spring piece for 2023, and it’s dedicated to everyone who’s feeling battered and windblown by the forces of bigotry, everyone ready for a break in the clouds of disinformation, everyone who’s uncertain about where they belong or if anyone else feels this way - you aren’t alone, and never have been. Our voices can seem as small as we are in a big, noisy world, so easily overwhelmed, but the power of a chorus in unison can wash away the illusion that principles of injustice are set in stone. May this storm be the cleansing we’ve been waiting for, and may the rainbow that comes after be a dazzling flag of freedom for every single one of us.

Read the full blog post here.