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that’s exactly how your name appears:
the letters are white, the strikeout is bold black —
stitched with thick thread into the uniform
that you wear when you stand
behind the register

a bold statement for those who wonder,
perhaps a tool to get through the transition,
an act of courage,
if nothing else

and may you find your way
through the muddy waters
that exist in-between.

— Katie L. Filicky

Katie L. Filicky lives in the North Side and works as a full-time writer. Her poems are forthcoming from the anthology Voices from the Attic. She has served as a reader for Creative Nonfiction and is currently working on a poetry manuscript. Many writers featured in Chapter & Verse are guests of Prosody, produced by Jan Beatty and Ellen Wadey. Prosody airs every Saturday morning on 90.5 FM.