Middle to Margins

By Dakota Senese

In a poetic exploration of the trauma that comes when one is forced to choose between the ones they love and being true to themselves, "Middle to Margins" brings the reader on one person's journey of coming out as transgender.

With vulnerability and raw honesty, poet Dakota Senese shares the whirlwind of self-discovery, rejection, and belonging. From the loss of community when he was rejected by his conservative church to discovering a new-to-him way of living authentically as the man he is, the poetry is ultimately grounded in hope and love.

 

This second edition comes with commentary about the poetry and his thought process behind the writing process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dakota Senese
• Release date: Jan 21, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224152292

Dakota Senese

Dakota Senese is an bestselling author from Winnipeg, Manitoba. His first book, Middle to Margins, outdid all expectations, and is his pride and joy. When not writing, you can find Dakota going to school, crocheting, and snuggling his cat, Clyde. He lives on the margins of society in his hometown and is always seeking ways to bring justice and equity to his neighbours, and in the past these have included cooking large meals for community out of his kitchen and volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Book preview

Dear Church: A Manifesto

Hello Dear,

The all that and too cool for school Transmasculine peeps around a table would like you to know that We are the Queers the Patriarchy warned you about. We’d like to let you know that we’re all a little messed up. The truth hurts, doesn’t it? I know we don’t see eye to eye on everything, but what disappoints me the most is your claim to be a lighthouse in the storm, yet you let me drown in the expansive ocean that insists on being my downfall. The good thing about drowning, though, is that you realize how little time left you have for things like simple faith and regaining family. Still, drowning leaves me wondering how much more of this can I take?

I’d like to let you know that this lonely little lost leviathan has made true friends that aren’t solely hinged on skeletons and doubting the faith of one another. These friends know my name and are working on helping me breathe, giving me life changing CPR that is helping me succeed and changing trauma into bittersweet memories. Despite my progress, I still feel caught between two armies, each one telling me that I seem off one’s rocker. Despite this, I keep on thriving, refusing to be entrapped by the White Privilege that is the conservative church I knew and loved. I am here on my soapbox, proclaiming that all are the Children of God, opening conversations and affirming our elders, telling them ‘you did one right’.

Honestly, now I learn from my big fat ‘D’ that I earned in knowing how to take care of myself when this journey started. Now when I am tired, I rest, and how great is that rest.

Sincerely,

The Once Exalted, Twice Fallen

Sinner-Saint

2

On love

Oh god, the maker of heaven and earth,

The ever-loving and ever-present one,

For the hurting, we pray comfort.

For the starving, we pray food.

For the cold, we pray warmth.

For the wrongly incarcerated, we pray freedom.

For the Trans souls lost to violence, we pray peace.

For the queer souls caught in the crossfire, we pray safety.

For those in crisis, we pray longevity.

For those caught in the crisis that is the conservative church, we pray understanding.

For in all these things, we pray the world to be a better place for all to coexist together.

Through the mercy and merit of Jesus Christ our savior, who by his redemption and ascension is the mediator of our faith and worship.

3

BREATHE

1234

In

Out

In

Out

My breath speaks truth

When my mind lies

I was 19

When I was robbed

Of this sacred