September 11, 2025

November, December, January

BY Joy Ladin
Photo by Roy Muz, Unsplash

Drought-ridden days,
days that are wet,
days of fretting

about passports and money,
sick days, days
of feeling a little better, days I know

I won’t remember, days I notice
it’s getting colder, days
of losing color,

days flooded by terror, days
when there’s still time to feel brave
without having to be brave, resist

without lifting a finger,
days when I can still walk down the street
without needing to prove

to men in masks
or to myself
that this is still my country.


Joy Ladin has published eleven books of poetry, including her latest collection, Family; National Jewish Book Award winner, The Book of Anna; and Lambda Literary Award finalists, Transmigration and Impersonation. She is also the author of three books of creative non-fiction: Once Out of Nature: Selected Essays on the Transformation of Gender; National Jewish Book Award finalist Through the Door of Life; and Lambda Literary and Triangle Award finalist, The Soul of the Stranger. Her work has been recognized with a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and a Fulbright Scholarship, among other honors. Her work is available at joyladin.com.
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