Poeaxtry's Poetry Prism

Spell. Stone. & Sparks that Ignite Change

Tag: transgender

  • The Spill: Vol. 8- TransOhio, New Zines, and More

    The Spill: Vol. 8- TransOhio, New Zines, and More

    Trans Ohio Symposium Announcement:

    I’m honored to announce that I’ve been approved to speak at the upcoming Trans Ohio Symposium. This marks my First time presenting, and I’m eager to contribute to this vital conversation.

    Quick Backstory:

    I slammed this zine together for the Symposium and edited it in under a week. I still managed to work my five 12-hour night shifts and then drove all the way to the Red River Gorge after work on Wednesday morning. Yes, following my Tuesday night shift. Explored rock hounded, collected a bank of amazing views, wandered trails, and didn’t make it home until 3 a.m. Thursday. I then still got everything ready and out the door. To the TransOhio Dropbox for set-up. That’s the kind of grind behind these projects.

    Exploring New Community Platforms:

    I’m actively seeking more inclusive and functional community platforms beyond Discord. Currently, I’m considering:

    • Engayge: nonprofit social networking platform designed for LGBT+ communities. Offers Business listings and events with an aim to uplift the LGBT+ community through connection, resources, and support.

    • Twitch: For streaming and connecting live with community members, potentially for readings and discussions.

    • Sup: Community app providing support and connection for individuals facing life challenges.

    I’ll share updates once I test these platforms to see which align best with our community’s needs.

    Amino App Warning

    It’s important to note that Amino has serious safety concerns. The app has been repeatedly flagged for predator activity, ineffective moderation, and exposure of users, particularly minors, to unsafe situations. Reports from parents and monitoring groups highlight grooming incidents, inappropriate content, and predatory behavior as ongoing risks. Due to these verified safety issues, Amino is not a recommended space for community engagement, especially for youth.

    New Zine Releases

    I’m thrilled to share the latest zine Zipper Titty, following my model separating zines from e-books. It includes six add-ons, one of which is a collector image unique to this edition.

    Additionally, a new zine is in the works & shhhh, it is a secret for now, a little different from my usual style, so stay tuned.

    Recent Poetry Highlights

    • Miss Me With It – On toxic friendships and moving on. Read it here.

    • Them – Reflections on falling in love with my partner and cherishing the moments of true happiness.

    • Yuletide Fire – My contribution to Forever With Pride, coming in the Christmas Catalog.

    Voices for the Voiceless & The Joy They Can’t Erase

    These zines remain central to my work, amplifying marginalized voices and celebrating resilience and joy. They’re available for anyone seeking powerful, inclusive narratives. To contribute to until 12/12/25 at least.

    Closing Thoughts

    There’s a lot on the horizon: new platforms, zines, poetry, and adventures.
    Thank you for being part of this journey, for reading, and for supporting these projects.
    Stay tuned for more updates, and keep exploring with me! 

    Poeaxtry’s 🔗

    Portfolio

  • Zipper Titty: 18-Page Trans Poetry Zine

    Zipper Titty: 18-Page Trans Poetry Zine

    What Is Zipper Titty?

    Introducing Zipper Titty, the newest zine from Poeaxtry_. This 18-page collection including the cover, table of contents, dedication page, 14 bold poems, and an end page, creates a complete and immersive reading experience. Each page is designed to pull readers into a world that is honest, dysphoric, positive, and deeply rooted in transgender experiences.

    The name Zipper Titty reflects humor, reclamation, and a bold transmasc perspective. The work leans into identity, embodiment, and resilience. While the zine carries a transmasc viewpoint the add-ons are useable and meaningful for readers of any gender identity as well as the general themes, just from a transgender man’s point of view.

    What Makes This Zine Special?

    Zipper Titty is completely independent from the TransOhio Symposium seminar I am giving. Each copy comes with the collectable zine specific image and at least 5 other add-ons. These elements are meant to be explored, revisited, and treasured by collectors and readers alike.

    This is my second zine released to date , so it also introduces the second collector’s image in the Poeaxtry_ series. Every detail, from layout to crafted add-ons is developed to provide a full, immersive, collectible, and resourceful zine experience.

    How Was Zipper Titty Created?

    I realized Saturday night… because of an email filter I didn’t know existed I found out I had actually been approved to speak at Ohio’s 16th Annual Transgender &y symposium. Despite the late realization, I had everything ready by Friday night way before my Monday deadline. This means I made an entire speaking layout, a zine, all the zine add-ons, 2 companion handouts, a PowerPoint presentation, and edited it all. The attendees of the symposium do get the zine for free and another digital copy to gift a homie. The zine itself, however, stands alone as an independent work, and its add-ons and content are not tied to the presentation or handouts. This was a way I saw to allow the attendees to experience some of my work after hearing about it, and to allow them to gift it to a friend. This also is open to other speakers at the symposium to grab a handout to download and or gift.

    What Interactive Elements Are Included?

    Interactive elements hidden throughout the zine hide individual letters missing to complete the url to receive 3 extras by finding bold, italic, and yellow letters to spell different words, 3 QR codes link to at least 3 extras as well for quicker access to some ad-ons. Other instructions to find any additional add-ons may be placed through the material, so keep your eyes peeled!

    How Can You Get Your Copy?

    Someone told me you wanted a copy, so I’ll let you in on how:

    TransOhio Symposium Attendees, speakers, and the Homies of anyone there have access to a Free download.

    Everyone Else: $4.99 via Poeaxtry_ stores. This version (like any other zine) does include all add-ons and the collector’s image (handouts tied to the presentation are not included). And if you’d like it on a free for honest reviews model I’ll be glad to provide you a free download discount, after we go over what that entails.

    Email Poeaxtryspoetryprism@gmail.com and ask about How the free E-books & E-zines for honest reviews model works.

    Or

    check out my ✨Poeaxtry’s Contact Page ✨ for other ways to get ahold of me for all things Poeaxtry related.

    Why Does Zipper Titty Matter?

    Zipper Titty is more than poetry, it’s a resource containing interactive experience. While it also makes trans positive artwork and solidifies transgender identities. Therefore, making the ability to erase our existence impossible. Its 18 pages, 14 poems, multiple add-ons, and resources make it a must-have for LGB people, trans community members, allies, and anyone who wants to engage with bold, immersive transmasc artistry.

    Find all my shops and more: All things Poeaxtry any time

    Or

    Read more about my panic upon finding the email from TransOhio so late here:

    TransOhio 16th Annual symposium- Here Axton Comes

    And some of my work is here if you wanna look at it:

    Poeaxtry’s Link

    What are your experiences with transgender poetry? Have you collected zines before?

    Share your thoughts in the comments!

    Portfolio

  • Speaking at the 16th Annual TransOhio Trans & Ally Symposium

    Speaking at the 16th Annual TransOhio Trans & Ally Symposium

    When the Universe Has Plans for You:

    Sometimes the universe knows what you’re supposed to do before you even know it yourself. That’s exactly what happened with me and the TransOhio Symposium.

    I signed up months ago. Saw some posts online, clicked through their website, thought “hmm.” A few days went past and I was seeing them all over, I mean I have lived in Ohio most of my life and never heard of TransOhio before Spring 2025. So I went back to their website. Signed up to present at this symposium and then… completely forgot about it. When I recently thought about it I chalked it up to just me not being picked. And honestly There were a few other prior times I had thought about it like damn that would have been cool. But I was in a sense moved on from that idea.

    How I Almost Missed My Big Opportunity:

    Then, while cleaning out my inbox at the 2am midnight shift drag purging the nonsense, unsubscribing the usual clutter that I never get to. I happen on three emails from TransOhio. One of them told me I did get accepted I received it over a month ago. Filtered, messages can eat my booty. It didn’t go to spam or and if the folders. I didn’t notice it in my general inbox, but I randomly go through my subscription list and WAM! BAM! Thank you not so random urge to clean that up. Just about ten days prior to kick off. Don’t worry I’m gonna deliver.

    What Is the TransOhio Symposium?

    TransOhio is the annual 3-day symposium at Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio, this year from September 5th through 7th. Over 200 participants, 40 workshops, continuing education credits, entertainment, food, and a space alive with connection, conversation, and creation. It’s a place where trans artists, thinkers, and allies come together.

    My session is “Poetry, Ink, Identity, and Insistence: Transcreation and Survival in Defiance” at 3:15 PM in room A. I’ll have printouts, slides, maybe even other physical items you can keep. I will bring the kind of threads that link through art, poems, ideas, and experiences. Some will overlook this thinking it’s just another poetry session. This is tangible real life community building.

    From Fear to Acceptance: My Journey to the Stage

    Honestly, I had completely forgotten about this thing. I thought it wasn’t happening. When I signed up I thought I was way out of my league, but I like to aim high. My speech class in college of less than 15 people was scary. I am going to stutter but I’m going to totally fucking do it. I really didn’t expect it. And I guess that’s the point. Sometimes you do something you don’t even know you’re supposed to do. You don’t even know it. The universe knows, though. And it makes sure you get there, at the perfect time, in the right way, for the right people, and you’ll know exactly what you’re supposed to say.

    How This Differs From My Previous Experience:

    I’ve done one seminar before, if you want to call it that. I stood shirtless under 1 year post op with my surgeon at GenderFest Vegas also a trans conference. I was just Standing there bar-b-Que sauce on my titties, kidding. Anyway the lovely artist, surgeon, god Brandon Reynolds did all the talking and I just tried not to stare at anyone too long, or make direct eye contact, and I fought so hard to hold still and still lost.

    Why This Event Matters Beyond Just a Presentation

    This isn’t just a seminar or a conference I stand in-front of shirtless. It’s a community, a vision, a connection, a series of small nudges and echoes for change. It’s 10 days before showtime, filtered emails, patterns in timing that line up so perfectly you can’t call it luck. It’s survival. It’s defiance. It’s insistence. It’s my mom being the best damn guardian angel a transgender son or any son could need.

    So, whether you’re reading this sooner or later. Maybe you’re thinking about the symposium, either way the lesson is clear: do the thing. Yes, even if you don’t know why. Sometimes the universe handles the rest. Sometimes it’s emails in the right moment, or it’s seeing a new thing or place nonstop now. The best is when you just stand there and everything clicks.

    But that is what it’s supposed to do. That’s how it’s meant to happen. 10 days. Three emails. One untraceable filter. And suddenly, the universe is in motion, the room is ready, the words are ready, and somehow I know I will be too.

    This is my yellow and I keep experiencing more and more yellow things. Listen to Coldplay or something.

    Poeaxtry’s Links

    Are you attending the TransOhio Symposium?

    Have you ever had a moment where the universe seemed to push you toward something important?

    Share your experiences in the comments!

  • The Blackout Poem I Never Thought I’d Make 

    The Blackout Poem I Never Thought I’d Make 

    I didn’t think blackout poems were for me. I’ve never considered myself a visual artist, not in the least bit. I wasn’t sure I had the eye for it. Then I saw this comment, before work tonight, and something clicked.

    It was a public comment on my Facebook, under a WordPress post I’d shared. I wrote the post on a topic that I feel strongly about: that I’m not “LGBT without the T.”

    The man who commented wasn’t a follower. He was just some creep who had something cruel to say, like people often do when they’re not being watched. Sending in the comment and, blocking me this afternoon while I was asleep for work.

    And before I could even reply. I don’t delete comments, and I usually kill with kind snark. But this time, I made him into forever art.

    I blacked out the rest.

    And what was left.. well that is the art.

    I didn’t expect to like this process. I didn’t expect to feel like I could even do it.

    Now I have and, it feels like something I’ll keep doing.

    There’s something quiet and satisfying about revealing the truth that was already buried in the noise.

    Hate comment from Chris “you can’t remove the t from pretending either…”
    My first thought is let’s make it pretty
    The comment turned into art says “you can’t remove being yourself”
    The art Chris helped me make

    Links Ko-fi a song?

  • Still Growing: How I’d Describe Myself, Honestly

    Still Growing: How I’d Describe Myself, Honestly

    How would you describe yourself to someone?

    Describing yourself to someone else isn’t always easy and especially when you’re made of a million pieces. Some are polished like my tumbled stones and some still lost in stage’s in-between. Some of my pieces sit quietly. Though, most are able to be heard well before being seen. If you really want to know me, here’s what I’d say:

    I’m a transgender man, a poet and a brother. I am someone who’s lived more lives than years and still chooses love every time. I’m a little wild around the edges but hold a huge interests is things bigger than myself. I’m the kind of person who sees beauty in broken things and meaning in the mundane. A rockhound, literally and metaphorically speaking. I find clarity in chaos and treasures in the dirt. I’ve always found peace in nature’s small wonders, whether it’s a strange fossil in a ohio, a waterfall along the road in North Carolina, a field of wildflowers, or the hush of a quiet morning with no one around.

    I’m a pet dad and an animal lover through and through. My heart stays full because of the furry ones that trust me to protect and care for them. I’m a fiancé, a son, a momma’s boy in every way that matters, and someone who’s learned how to carry a big heart inside even bigger walls. They exist not to keep people out forever, but to make sure what comes in is real and worthy.

    I work as an STNA in Ohio. It’s an honest job that reminds me daily of the fragility and strength of being human. I’m queer and neurodivergent, which means I see the world differently in many ways. Sometimes my thoughts drift, sometimes I hyperfocus, sometimes I forget where I was going mid-sentence. I call it my squirrel, but I always circle back to what matters. I’m easily amused, deeply emotional, and hard to knock down for good.

    I call it like I see it. And I know I am one hundred percent not for everyone. I don’t lie about who I am. I’ve survived abuse, addiction, mental illness, and more than my fair share of days that almost ended me. And yet I’m still here still as ever curious, still kicking, and still kayaking down rivers like they owe me answers. I’ve always loved a little danger, a little chaos, and a lot of loudness. Pop-punk is home for me: shouty lyrics, raw feelings, and the unapologetic right to feel everything too much.

    I’m an activist, not because it’s trendy, but because silence has never saved anybody. I believe in showing up for all people, for justice, for love, especially if it’s hard. I support human rights because mine have been denied, delayed, and debated too many times not to.

    And above all else, I’m a human being. I am not a checklist of identities or a walking experience for others to analyze. Just a person doing his best with what life’s handed him. I laugh, I mess up, I start over, I love hard, and sometimes I fall apart. The best part? I keep showing up. And I hope that counts for something. I will always.

    So, how would I describe myself? I’m someone still in motion. I am actively making space in a world that wasn’t built for people like me, but damn sure isn’t ready for what I bring to the table either. I’m full of contradictions, full of love, and full of fight. And if you don’t get it… well, keep it cute, or put it on mute.

    Links. Discord. A song

    Another prompt

  • The Layers of Me: Girlhood, Survival, and Becoming a Man

    The Layers of Me: Girlhood, Survival, and Becoming a Man

    “Never the Enemy”

    by Axton N. O. Mitchell

    Raised

    I was raised a girl. That’s how the world saw me. That’s what I was told to be. A little girl with crooked pigtails m, buck teeth, and scraped-up knees. She didn’t like being touched. She didn’t like being stared at. She never liked how the world made her feel.

    Taught

    She was taught to smile. Not because of happiness, it was just safer. She learned to laugh off the gross comments much before she could read chapter books. She learned how to keep a boy from following her home. How to hold keys and lighters in her balled up fist.I know that just existing in a body the world called “girl” comes with a constant background noise of threat.

    Assaulted

    I was assaulted, as a little girl, as a teen, and as a man. A few years after passing the awkward transition phases; I was  years on hormones. A woman I was dating at the time liked to get me drunk enough to forget. Not that I want to but, it’s worth mentioning I never  remembered one single time. She told me it was easier that way. Then the used up it’s me not you. 

    Myth

    There’s this myth that once you transition, it all goes away. As if you can flip a switch, cut your hair, change your name, and suddenly be safe. As if I am suddenly respected. Erasing my trauma from living as a girl as if it doesn’t  stick to me. My second skin. Even after the world starts seeing you differently, it doesn’t mean it treats you right. If you  don’t “pass” all the time. Especially when you live in small-town maga country .

    Now, I get called “sir” until certain people get told, because no they can’t tell. The people that claim they “are my friends” say “she” behind my back as soon as they get mad at me. However, the flip side is worse for me. Now these people assume I’m one of them. Racist comments. Sexist jokes. Homophobia. Trans baby conspiracies.Assuming I’m a good ol’ boy. I was never meant to become the enemy. When I out myself they stop treating like the man I am. The privilege stops when I defend someone. I won’t close my mouth to save my neck. 

    Remember

    Remember not all men started the same. Some of us became men on purpose. With intention. With pain. With joy, too. But it wasn’t simple. And it wasn’t fast.

    In my late teens and early twenty’s, I thought I was a lesbian. I wasn’t pretending. I wasn’t confused. That label made sense for a while. I liked girls. I never felt like one, I tried to. I didn’t have the words to explain, but I was a man.  Not a phase, I just hadn’t fully found the truth. I have lesbian memories. I have lesbian trauma. I have lesbian experiences. That doesn’t go away just because I’m a man. Identity isn’t always a clean line. I’m a transgender man, and I lived as a lesbian. I survived as a girl. I became someone else and stayed alive.

    Yearn

     I yearn to be read. I want my work to move people who’ve never been seen. People that never had a place at the table. I’m not wasting time trying to win over systems that ignore us. I’m going to carve us something new. Each project I curate is rooted in the belief that all minority stories deserve to be told in our own voices.

     I want people to remember and know that minorities don’t just die. We live. We laugh. We have favorite songs. We have poetry in our blood and grief in our bones.

    I write because I won’t be erased. I write because I’m still here. I want to make sure no one else feels like they have to disappear just to be seen.

    Support the work that feeds, steadies, and teaches! Consider a donation via CashApp, PayPal, Ko-Fi, or Buy Me a Coffee. Thuis will keep the projects and community alive.

    Links Poetizer discord
    Poem

  • Boxers and Blood – A Transmasc Truth Bomb About Hormones and Periods

    Boxers and Blood – A Transmasc Truth Bomb About Hormones and Periods

    Shark Week

    It’s strangely funny how you can forget you’re trans. Suddenly, your body reminds you like a blaring, blood-soaked alarm clock. I missed my shot this week. Life got busy, I got distracted, and my calendar reminder decided to be a useless little ghost. Well to be honest the reminder I probably ignored. Per Axton usual. So now I’m sitting in a puddle of regret and crimson at 11:00 in the morning. As if I don’t work a night shift again. Ew. I took care of the mess before I started this blog post I’m not that deranged.

    Last night I had to leave work early. Lunch break turned into a chaotic pilgrimage to Walmart. A 22-minute drive one way, shopping time not included. You know how wild it is to shop for “feminine hygiene” when you’re ten years into hormones? Obviously they all think they are for a lady. It’s not embarrassingly obvious they are mine or anything . It’s just surreal. Like borrowing a body that doesn’t know it’s retired from this kind of work.

    Always Sneaky

    I’m never prepared. You’d think I would be. But that’s the weirdest, most tender part of all this… sometimes I actually forget I’m trans. I forget that my body has shadow memories. I forget that skipping a shot can wake up something ancient and bleeding inside me. It’s almost peaceful, until it isn’t.

    So here I am. Slept maybe three hours. Woke up drenched. Could double as a crime scene. It’s not. It’s just my boxers and a pair of shorts I really liked..

    And I could scream, or laugh, or write about it. Today I choose to write.

    Because this too is part of the joy, the horror, the mess, the miracle. The full, absurd ride of being me.

    But by far the least funny part is the way I swear the cramps hurt more now. As if the goddess herself is reminding me where I came from.

    Trigger Warning

    TW: for those late to the party. This post mentions menstruation, dysphoria, and hormone disruption. It’s listed clearly. My posts are raw and unfiltered. Also, I have a large list of potential TWs posted. I may just pop into them at any given time (also noted). I don’t reiterate them for every single post. Neither of us want that. I put a decent amount of time into listing every and any trigger I could potentially cover. And I phoned a friend for help.. thank you KYYYYY REEEEEEAAAA!!! But if you need a tw every time for every trigger I have some news for you about life offline…. You might not be ready for this side of the internet if you need a trigger warning. This is about the reality of a transmasc body that sometimes bleeds. But let me be clear I in no way aim to offend, or trigger anyone intentionally. This is just where I’m me without (repeated) warnings. ‼

    Links Wattpad

  • Still I Forget 🙏

    Still I Forget 🙏

    An original poem by: Axton N.O. Mitchell

    “Still I Forget”

    I feel insane. It has been four years. 
    But still, I forget that you 
    are no longer here. 

    Unable to pick up the phone,
    Can’t plan a weekend trip,
    Can’t meet up to do shit.
    Got a cool story to tell, 
    but you’ll never be able to fucking 
    hear even a part of it .

    Everyone around me talks 
    about their mothers, what 
    they are up to, where they 
    have been, what they do for fun,
    their jobs and, what 
    their moms do at them. 

    I get to sit in silence once it’s my 
    turn cuz’ my mom is 
    fucking Dead and, no one 
    wants to hear about it. 

    Links Portfolio

  • Daily writing prompt: My Legacy 🖊️

    Daily writing prompt: My Legacy 🖊️

    What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

    When I think about legacy, I don’t picture wealth or status, I envision of a shelf. A tall, dusty shelf sits in some quiet room, decades from now. It is lined with books that echo voices. These are the voices that were once silenced. I want my poetry to outlive me. This is not just for the sake of art. It is for the sake of those who have felt or will feel invisible. My legacy will be one of poetic excellence, but also one of resistance, resilience, and raw truth.

    Words like Lanterns

    I want to be remembered as someone who used his words like lanterns. I aim to light paths for trans and queer youth. They need to see themselves clearly in a world that often erases them. I want to leave behind a body of work that makes people feel braver, more seen, and more whole. My legacy will focus on collaboration in publishing.

    I aim to publish not only my own books. I also lift others’ voices in shared collections. These collections challenge injustice and document our collective truths. I will also start a publishing company. Its primary focus will be on publishing the work of those who are most vulnerable. These individuals are often most likely to be ignored.

    Restless Care

    Above all, I want my legacy to be one of relentless care. I care for the underdog, for the misrepresented, and for those living in the margins. I want my words and projects to remind future generations that their stories matter. Once upon a time, someone fought like hell to make sure they’d be heard.

    Axton is the Change!

    Just in case this was a thing you didn’t pick up on. I don’t want to be remembered as someone who simply talked about the need for change. I want to be remembered as someone who was the change. Someone whose voice didn’t just echo in empty halls. It moved through communities, laws, and generations. This helped to carve out a freer world for minorities. A world where they are no longer just fighting to be heard, but living loudly, boldly, and without shame.

    links portfolio
    Poetizer