As many of you know, I wrote a poem called She Comes in May. It’s going to be published in Jason’s next book soon. That poem talks about recurring grief around trauma. My trauma—among other tragedies I’ve witnessed—is that I joined the dead moms club two years ago. My mom passed away on 5/31/24. Naturally, that poem was about the grief I experience every May due to her long hospitalization and her passing in May of 2024. This date is still very hard for me. 5/31 isn’t the day I celebrate my mom. I do that on her birthday. She loved astrology so much that celebrating her on any other date would somehow seem inappropriate. Last night I was feeling the weight of it all, and my partner, Johnny Gallo, suggested we go to the beach under the Pink Moon and say a few words for her. I took a picture and wrote some words. See attached. If you’re in the grips of grief right now, remember you have family here. Write about it. Tell us what’s going on. You don’t have to carry it alone.

✨ Let's do something a little bit different today We spend a lot of time here transforming experiences into poems, songs, and stories. This time, we'd love to see what transformation looks like through visual art. Healing pain with poetry A feeling becoming a song. We're looking for original artwork that captures the spirit of Ink & Alchemy—the art of transforming life's experiences into something beautiful, meaningful, and unforgettable. Your Challenge 🎭🎨🖌️ Create an original piece inspired by: Transformation Poetry & Songwriting Words as Magic Creativity as Healing Turning Pain into Gold All mediums are welcome: 🎨 Digital Art 🖌️ Painting ✏️ Illustration 📸 Photography 🖋️ Mixed Media 🧵 Sculpture and handcrafted artwork Why We're Asking for Artwork We're building the visual identity of Ink & Alchemy and would love to feature artwork created by members of this community. Selected pieces may be used in: 🖤 Group banners and cover images 🖤 Challenge and event graphics 🖤 Promotional materials 🖤 Artist spotlights 🖤 Future Ink & Alchemy branding Ai artwork is welcome :-)))) **** make sure you sign it: Please note: If your submission is a physical piece, we'll need a high-quality photograph of the artwork to feature it. Bonus Challenge ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Hide a word, lyric, poem fragment, quote, or symbolic message somewhere within your artwork. 📌 Share your artwork in the comments below and tell us the story behind it. Your work will become part of the face of Ink & Alchemy as we grow :-))

Hi Everyone! I’m Renee from Los Angeles. My favorite musician and lyricist is Fiona Apple. Below are the lyrics to her song I Know. I love the way she plays with words and metaphors in her music. I Know by Fiona Apple So be it, I'm your crowbar If that's what I am, so far Until you get out of this mess And I will pretend That I don't know of your sins Until you are ready to confess But all the time, all the time I'll know, I'll know And you can use my skin to bury secrets in And I will settle you down And at my own suggestion I will ask no questions While I do my thing in the background But all the time, all the time I'll know, I'll know Baby, I can't help you out While she's still around So for the time being, I'm being patient And amidst this bitterness If you'll just consider this Even if it don't make sense all the time Give it time And when the crowd becomes your burden And you've early closed your curtains I'll wait by the backstage door While you try to find the lines to speak your mind And pry it open, hoping for an encore And if it gets too late for me to wait For you to find you love me, and tell me so It's okay Don't need to say it