Hush (a rewrite)

NaBloPoMo

Its anxiety, my old friendYou’ve come to sit with me againBecause a feeling softly does creepGrabbing hold while I cannot sleepAnd the belief that was programmed in my brainStill remainsWithin the hush of silence In childhood years I walked aloneSlipping into a silent homeWatching other families from afarMy door to comfort was ajarWhen my heart […]

Here’s why I go to therapy 3x each week

Pre-pandemic, I began seeing my counselor twice a week for therapy. We were starting to work on trauma and one session wasn’t enough. This was 2019. Her boss resisted. My insurance did not, so after self-advocacy, I became a woman who went to therapy twice a week. Like psychoanalysis without the cocaine or sex. I […]

365 Days Feels Like One Day at a Time

Today, August 27, 2024, marks one year since I was wrongly detained for an involuntary commitment (302), held against my will for four or five hours, then discharged to find the lock to my home had been changed. Each of these claims is a fact. The date, the invalid 302 paperwork, the time spent at […]

I Don’t Know How My Mother Did It

I don’t know how my mother did it. Her entire life, she relied on other people for rides. When she was younger. she was an avid public transit user, zipping from Bethel Park around the region on trolley and bus. Once she had kids and moved to West Mifflin, things got trickier. The bus was […]

The Second Anniversary of the Death of My Mother

collage of kerry pryor kerr my mother

Two years ago, my mother died on this date. I think about her more often now. Even when it is a sad memory, I almost instantly remember that she’s at peace. I can miss her, but not regret that she’s gone. Not in a “better place” sort of way, but that she served her time […]

The Courage of An Apology, The Grace of New Insight

apology cats

And when the music playsAnd when the words areTouched with sorrowWhen the music playsAnd when the music playsI hear the soundI had to follow I recently had a chat with a high school classmate about the long-ago rift in our friendship and the chance to offer an apology. They said I was a gossip. And […]

The Year Without a Birthday Card

Tomorrow, I’ll celebrate my birthday – I’m turning 53. No Birthday Cards This Year It dawned on me yesterday that I had not received a birthday card. Then it sunk in that the people who sent me cards each year have opted out of my life this year – my wife, her mother, and a […]

Here’s My Video Letter to Senator John Fetterman About Disability

Image of Senator John Feetterman

@pghlesbianblog open letter to Senator @John Fetterman about bullying and disability #bullying #disabilities #disability #Senate #Fetterman #bullies #Pittsburgh #redditread #story #blog #blogger #blogging #harassment #fyp #foryourpage #longpost ♬ original sound – PghLesbian Correspondents Blog

It is Hard to Get The Feeling and Sounds of Being Handcuffed Out of My Mind

Two pairs of handcuffs

35 days ago, I was handcuffed into a police cruiser under an invalid civil commitment warrant. I was only detained for four hours, but does that matter? Denying me my civil liberties – my actual liberty – for any period of time without just cause or due process is an affront to democracy. I am […]

What Is The Key to Getting Myself Home Again?

After five weeks have passed, I’m thinking a little more down the road including finding the key to go back home. So many of my rights and liberties were taken from me or violated that I am determined to lean into every right I can, cling tightly, and keep my eyes wide open for other […]