Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Who Killed Kurt Cobain?: The Story of Boddah by Nicolas Otero

Title: Who Killed Kurt Cobain?: The Story of Boddah

Author: Nicolas Otero

Genre: Graphic Novels, Magic Realism, Contemporary, Biography, Non-Fiction* (*ish)

Release Date: 8th November

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

If anyone who has bipolar disorder and/or drug/alcohol addiction problems has reviewed this book, let me know and I will provide a link to your review.

This is weird. And probably needs to come wrapped in a 'trigger warning' protective plastic cover.

That said, this was interesting - so let's get down to this review, shall we?

Premise:

Kurt Cobain's suicide note was addressed to Boddah.

Now, given the amount of conspiracy theories over Cobain's death, Boddah's identity and role has been discussed a lot.

The simple truth, though, is that Boddah was Cobain's imaginary friend as a kid.

This is the story of Nirvana, Kurt, Courtney, and Kurt's death - as told by Boddah.

Best bits:

Otero seems to honestly feel for Cobain - which stops the book from feeling as exploitative as I feared it would. (It still does feel disrespectful though - see next section.)

We're encouraged to empathise with a man who was, at heart, actually very childlike and lost.

I felt like the image of Kurt given here was one of an actual human being - as opposed to the caricature or legend that he's become since his death.

This book is also down-right heart-breaking. You are right there with Courtney screaming at Kurt to open the bathroom door, watching him as he slowly self-destructs, and unable to help.

The artwork is serviceable - and the boldness of the more experimental hallucinatory-type panels was sometimes breath-taking.

The way Boddah seems so realistic is impressive. He loves Kurt; when Kurt is gone... the panels where Boddah is left without him are just heart-breaking.

Not so great bits:

Things drawn graphically in this book that people need to be aware of:

• drug-use (including heroin injection and joint smoking)
• sex
• child abuse (physical, emotional)
• guns (and a suicidal fascination with them)
• attempted suicide
• drying-out in rehab
• self-harm (I think... not 100%, I might be misremembering - a lot happened in this book)
• hallucinations
• childbirth
• suicide - including a VERY graphic image of Kurt's dead body.

There's also swearing - but, to be honest, if you can get beyond the things listed above, swear-words aren't going to bother you.

The question of respect for both the living and the dead is a difficult one in this book.

Honestly? (And you guys know I'm always honest with you.) I found it quite disrespectful.

I sincerely doubt that anyone bothered to get Courtney Love's permission to draw her explicitly having sex with her late husband - and that's NOT OK. It's just not.

Likewise, I doubt permission was obtained from any of Cobain's family to show the final distressing panel of his dead body. Again, that's NOT OK.

I DO NOT THINK THE SHOCK-VALUE IS WORTH HURTING PEOPLE. If these were fictional characters, maybe it would be different. But they're not.

You're dealing with REAL people here - have some f**king respect, please!

I felt like Kurt's mental health problems weren't really explained. We got one or two blink-and-you'll-miss-them references to his bipolar disorder, and that is it.

Now, given that Kurt Cobain committed suicide, and there's a chance that Boddah was a hallucination brought on by the bipolar (or, indeed, a hallucination brought on by the drugs, or a combination of the two,) some attention to how his illness will have impacted on both his general mental state, and his susceptibility to drug and alcohol addiction, would have been a good idea.

Verdict:

It was interesting. It was readable. It was heart-breaking.

But there were also issues - and one's which can't be ignored; so give it a read if you want to, honestly, it's pretty fascinating, but do it with your eyes wide open.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads

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• Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Starve Vol 1 by Brian Wood

Nerd Church - Dear America: Please Don't Make Our Mistakes

Dear America,

It's not just your futures that you hold in your hands. Whatever you do ends up effecting all of us.

So I have a request of you: don't make the mistakes we made.

Too many people here didn't vote, because they didn't believe that Brexit (Britain leaving the EU) would actually happen.

Guess what? It did.





So now we have a divided country, a weakened currency, a constitutional crisis, and the chance of Scotland leaving the UK.

Don't leave it up to other people. Please. You get your butt out there, and you stop that man from becoming president.

Decades from now, I'll be able to hold my head up with pride and say that I voted 'Remain' - that I wanted unity, tolerance, co-operation, and prosperity. That I did not want the racism and hatred that Brexit represents.

What will you be able to say? Will you be able to tell your children and grandchildren that you stood against racism and hatred?




Or will you have to hang your head and say that you voted for a man who had child rape allegations made against him?

Donald Trump is supported by the KKK. He bragged about sexually assaulting a woman. His father was arrested at a KKK rally. He has so many sexual assault, harassment, and rape allegations against him; if this were any other candidate, would he still be here?

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He hates anyone who doesn't fit his warped and twisted view of the world.

And the toad-faced pr*ck who ruined our country supports him - that should tell you a lot.




Will you have to tell those future generations that you saw him, and stood by? That you did nothing?




Do not DARE give me the 'voting doesn't matter' b*llsh*t. Trust me, that is what all of the people who didn't vote here thought.





VOTE America. For everyone's sake.

Yours,
The Rest of the World









Like this post? Try these:

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• Nerd Church - Use Your Vote, Raise Your Voice

Friday Fics Fix - Dark Emrys

Now that Halloween is over, normal fanfiction service will resume ;) (well, as normal as it ever gets.)

This week's fic is based on the BBC series Merlin. Which you should totally look up if you haven't seen it, because it's a pretty damn cool series.

You know what I really love though my nerdlets? Well-written fanfiction. Fanfiction which could be an original short story, and no-one could argue (excluding the copyright issues of course.)

And when the well-written piece is about mental health? Dude, I'm there.








But guys: WARNING! This is not a happy fic. It's about depression and includes self-harm, and some physical restraint related to the self-harm.

You know what's best for you, but please stop reading/don't start reading if this is going to hurt you and/or your wellbeing, mm'k?








Personally though, I found this... honest. As someone with depression, I really could relate to the emotion, even though the circumstances were different to my own.

Not sure that the reaction of Merlin's friends (i.e. yelling at him,) is all that healthy. But realistic? Yeah, probably. Honest? Again, yes.

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So this week's fic rec is:


As the Sun Fades by Welcome to my House of Mirrors

Enjoy, take care of yourselves, and I'll see you next week with more fanfiction-y-ness.







Like this post? Try these:

• Friday Fics Fix - Shoot That Poison Arrow
• Friday Fics Fix - I'm On Fire

Comics Wrap-Up - Give me that crown, b**ch, I wanna be Sheezus

Film Trailers

Another Doctor Strange teaser trailer for you:

And a quick public service announcement from yours truly that: although this does, indeed, look awesome, it would likely be just as awesome - and probably more so - without the ethnicity-erasure of the Asian characters.









Other Stuff


Soooo... Frank Cho and Milo Manara acted like immature douches. Again.

(Frank Cho is a relatively prominent comic-book artist; he acts like a douche a lot.)

Basically, superheroines should not be subjected to pornographic sketches as a 'special gift' for 'fighting censorship' in front of a room full of people.

You have stripped Jessica Drew (Spider-woman) of her dignity, her power, and her capabilities. You have literally laid her most intimate area bare to the world; and you don't seem to understand why this is a problem.

For the full story (and the offending illustration) see this article on The Mary-Sue

But Frank Cho, overall, can display all the nuances of a schoolboy writing 'boobies' on a calculator; see examples (NSFW):


(and yes, his official Twitter is 'apesandbabes')

...because, of course, the most edible part of the woman (and therefore the one the crocodile will grab while eyeing her a*s) is in fact the underwear. There are so many... vitamins... I guess?

Yes, this man draws for Marvel & DC. Yes, this is pretty exemplary of his style. No, he does not draw only for 18+, erotic, and/or Mature comics.

Frank Cho is employed on mainstream comics - the ones teenagers, and even some kids, read. He thinks this is an acceptable way to depict women.

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On the plus side, you can see the highlights from Marvel's 'Women of Marvel' New York Comic Con panel here:

These women rock. Watch the vid.

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Annnnnd finally, yesterday I wrote a post detailing the points for and against Wonder Woman being a UN Ambassador for Women.

I'd be super-happy if you checked it out :)

That's it for this week. Go out and be incredible, and know there are people in this world fighting for what's right.








Like this post? Try these:

• Wonder Woman and the UN
• Comics Wrap-Up - Here We Are Now

Wonder Woman and the UN

In case you haven't heard it yet - Wonder Woman was named a UN Ambassador for women recently. And some people aren't happy about it.

Now, I totally get why this is an issue for a lot of people. I also get why some people are happy about this announcement.

But - and this is the radical bit - this occurrence is neither the end of the world nor the saviour of humanity.






Let me sum-up a bit for you dearest nerdlets, and show you that all sides have some pretty impressive, and equally valid, points:





Not a 'real' woman


The evidence for the prosecution, m'lady, is as follows:

• Wonder Woman is fictional - she's not 'real.' There are plenty of non-fictional women who deserve the recognition of this role.

• She is often over-sexualised. Do we really want little girls looking up to a sex symbol as their role model?

• The creator of Wonder Woman was a man; her writers and artists are usually men. She is controlled by men.

• She has no voice of her own - only what people give her. She is a puppet with no agency of her own.

• Wonder Woman is commercial property - she is owned by DC comics. The UN currently has a women's ambassador who is beholden to commercial interests.

• Wonder Woman is too American to be a global ambassador.

Seems like there's a real case to be answered against her, doesn't it?

Women are warriors

The defence presents it's case m'lady:

• Wonder Woman is undeniably an icon with global recognition potential that needs little to no explanation.

• To many, she seems more real than the 'real' women - your average little girl is more likely to recognise - and relate to - Wonder Woman, than to Angela Merkel; so let's use that recognition for good.

• Wonder Woman was invented as a feminist icon - someone girls could look up to. This is a reclamation of her original identity - an undoing of the subversion of her original character; she wore a mini-skirt and knew it said nothing about her as a person. It was others who judged her for it.

• She saves the dude-in-distress constantly. Seriously, that's what she spent the first lord-knows-how-many years of her career doing - saving the useless dude's a*s, so that he didn't get his butt killed.

• She's canonically queer - any step forward for intersectional feminism can't be 100% bad.

• She shows girls that women can be whatever they want to be. A boob-tube and a mini-skirt doesn't make you stupid, weak, or ineffective.

So, valued members of the jury, what do you think? Is the case for or against Wonder Woman strong enough to make a valid judgement?

Here's my take: let's do something really radical, and assume that appointing one UN Women's Ambassador isn't enough! Let's appoint, oh, I don't know - 2 women? 3 women? 5 women? A whole team of women? Lord knows there's enough work for them.

The question shouldn't be: should we appoint a fictional character to this position?

It should be: Can we appoint this fictional character and this activist and this neuroscientist and this CEO and this charity worker and...?

Because Wonder Woman is going to a great job, regardless of who's for her, and who's against her - but why the hell should she have to do this alone?

Like this post? Try these:

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• Nerd Church - When Heroes Fall

Month In Review(s) - October 2016

October is over!!! And I'm sure most of you are currently stuffed with sweets and/or chocolate from Halloween.

So, without further ado my dearest nerdlets - let's get this wrap-up started!

October was a pretty cr*ppy month for me, depression-wise, but I'm lucky enough to have a) family, b) The Bestie, and c) all of you guys.

Seriously, I appreciate you guys a butt-tonne! You make me smile :)

And even though someone who I once considered cool - a fellow bookworm in fact - unfollowed me when I tweeted about LGBTQ+ things, the number of people actually doing that has reduced from what was happening last month.

This is possibly because I've put Sexually Fluid/Queer on my Twitter bio - so the a*shole bigots probably aren't following me to begin with.

And the very lastest day of this month saw my two-year blog anniversary! And with over 40k pageviews over all, and over 7k pageviews this month, DORA is still going strong (and I'm so surprised and happy, you honestly wouldn't believe it!)

So, to the books I reviewed this month:

Young Adult

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley - historical fiction, LGBTQ+ (F/F)

Adult

Finders Keepers by Stephen King - crime, thriller

Star-Shot by Mary-Ann Constantine - magic realism*, sci-fi* (*ish)

Comics/Graphic Novels

Bread and Butter #1 - contemporary

Ghoul Scouts: Night of the Unliving Undead - kids, horror, zombies

Review Time! (& GIVEAWAY! [closed]) - Star-Shot by Mary-Ann Constantine

Title: Star-Shot

Author: Mary-Ann Constantine

Genre: Magic Realism*, Sci-Fi* (*ish)

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers, Seren Books, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Well dearest nerdlets, today is my 2-year blog anniversary!

And, to celebrate, Welsh publishers Seren Books (Seren means star - yay, shiny!) have agreed to give-away 1 copy of Star-Shot by Mary-Ann Constantine.

So let's get on with this!

Premise:

In a version of the Welsh capital that is almost, but not quite, our own, something strange is happening in the city of Cardiff.

Pockets of silence are appearing - areas which seem to muffle, mute, and eliminate sound.

Against this backdrop, the winding nature of everyday life draws a group of people together; an unlikely group, who are, in one way and another, affected by the silence - can they also have an effect on it?

Best bits:

This whole book has an uber-cool atmospheric deal-y going on; like a fable or a myth, only with more of a contemporary setting, and it works very well. :)

I quite like the quick slips between Welsh and English.

This switch between the two is done well enough that non-Welsh-speaking folks will be able to follow without taking an intensive language course, but it still allows Welsh to have a place in what is otherwise an English novel.

The sense that this is a novel weaved together so that it fits as it's supposed to is strong throughout, and the language is languid and gentle without verging on boring.

I also love the way a multi-character cast is juggled so well here, never forgetting about anyone along the way.

And is there diversity? Yes, my nerdlets, there is.

We have named PoC characters who become more integral as we continue through the plot, and we also have a fair whack of disability representation on top.

I love that Lina, a Syrian refugee, is smart, clever, resourceful, and a scientist, despite the fact that she works as a cleaner in Cardiff.

And, I won't give it away because of spoilers, but there's a pretty damn good message here too.

Not so great bits:

None of the dialogue is in speech marks, it's all just part of the other text.

While this is clearly a clever way of showing the disconnect and muffling quality of the silence, it's not practical and led to me like: was this out loud? Who said that?

Yes, it's nice to be smart and experiment. No, it's not too big a deal. Yes, it is irritating.

Also, there was less of a sense of place than I was expecting.

I know Cardiff - yes, the features are Cardiff (with some of those quirky alternate-reality exceptions) but to me it didn't feel like Cardiff. 

This may just be me - I'm notoriously bad at sense of place in books (and in life... I get lost a lot...)

Also, while I liked the bilingual elements, your average day in Cardiff will involve a lot less Welsh language than this book suggests.

Verdict:

OK, this book is weird - but it's a good weird.

It's the kind of weird which keeps you reading, keeps you guessing, and is just my cup of tea (or coffee - I'm one of the few British people who can't stand tea. I know, she's a rebel.)

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads - Seren Books

Giveaway details

OK guys - it's as simple as this: RT this tweet and FOLLOW my Twitter account, and you could be getting your very own copy of Star-Shot, courtesy of publishers Seren Books.

Open from 9.30 GMT on 31st October 2016 to 9.30 GMT on 1st November 2016. Open Internationally.

Nerd Church (SPECIAL EDITION!) - Lessons From 2 Years of Book Blogging

It's my blog anniversary tomorrow! :) Yes, on Halloween, 2 years ago, a little depressed bookish rebel took her first steps into book-blogging.

That's Jango 'helping' me blog (climbing over my shoulder and onto the keyboard, he likes doing that) - he's the pretty/fluffy one ;)

So, you want me to dish the dirt, yeah? Of course you do ;)

I didn't blog much 'til October/November last year.

Yes, I've had a blog for two years, no I did not have a bl**dy clue what I was doing with it 'til last autumn, when I decided to really give this thing a go.

Don't look at my early posts, they're terrible. In fact, I look back at posts I wrote a few months ago and am hugely surprised at how much I've progressed since then.

The way to produce half-way decent blogposts is to produce a lot of not-so-great ones along the way.

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If you're a blogger, don't be afraid to be honest.

I decided from the start that I was going to be brutally honest.

That doesn't mean being abrasive or aggressive - it just means that you're going to be open and honest about you, your feelings, your life.

Granted, the fact that I use a blogging name is a huge safety net for that. When I started this blog, I was majorly depressed, and I still struggle with depression and anxiety now.

I don't think I would have felt comfortable talking so openly and frankly about my mental health problems if it'd been my real name that I was using.

Ditto, there are approximately three people offline who I've come out as sexually fluid to.

Online? I'm free to be me.

Also, my real name is actually Welsh, and after nearly a quarter of a century of having it mangled by people who are, themselves, Welsh, I figured that expecting people outside Wales to do anything but butcher it was probably a little much ;)

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Blogging almost every day has helped a lot.

Don't get me wrong: I know not many people want to/have time to do that. And it's uber-important to take breaks when you need them. Self Care first guys!

But I found that, actually, blogging almost every day helps with the depression: I have awesome online friends, the satisfaction of completing a post, and the ability to get my thoughts out of my head and into the world, where they might even do some good.

Plus, the amount of blogging/writing practice I get in is huge.

BUT: Do what suits you. No-one else. Blogging is such a personal thing that you have to do things your way, or you're going to end up hating something you should love.









I'm still socially awkward as all hell.

I'm so awkward. And I'm not just saying that. Everything that I could say goes directly out my earhole the moment someone talks to me.

Also, every time I talk to (awesome graphic novelist) Linda Sejic, I manage to become the living personification of a socially interactive train-wreck.

Luckily, Linda is amazing and doesn't seem to mind that I a) link to reviews of her husband's books instead of hers b) tag a random person whose @ was similar to Linda's handle and c) forget how to word and end up sticking random smiley faces in instead :)

General Warning: If I'm acting weird, it's not you. It's def not you. *sigh*

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But I'm not (that) afraid of controversy.

I'm not afraid of standing up for what I believe in. I think if you have a voice, you use it.

That said, I find it exceptionally difficult sometimes to disagree with people, in case I accidentally offend them.

The thought of offending someone is my #1 anxiety trigger, so you'll rarely find me insulting people - even those who deserve it - because it's not worth the shaking and racing-heart that comes with it.








This is not a way to gain instant fame and fortune.

I don't want to put you off - but to be even semi-successful in the blogging world, you need to put in some damned hard work.

If you're not willing to do that, then you won't see the results. Simple as that.

Basically, the way to blog, in my humble 2-year opinion, dearest nerdlets, is:

• try your best
• be you
• don't write posts you wouldn't read
• show people your passion

And, of course, Cee's Golden Rule for life:

Don't act like a jerk!

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I know this is kind of a long and blathering post, but I also have to give a special shout-out to just a few of the people who continue to inspire me:

Emily @ The Paperback Princess; Emma-Jane @ The Book Crunch; Sierra @ The Nerdgirl Review; Olivia-Savannah @ Olivia's Catastrophe; Tina @ As Told By Tina; Charlotte @ Bookmarks and Blogging; Naz @ Read Diverse Books; Ely (and Michelle) @ Tea & Titles; Imogen @ Wandered Souls

(and thanks to @arbind_paonam, @LindaSejic, and @misses_pancake for making Twitter a nicer place to be)

Sorry if I haven't thanked you: I love all of you, but dude, listing you all would take more than a blogpost, and this is already entering Oscar-speech territory. I've met so many amazing people through blogging!

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Please be assured that I appreciate each and every one of you, and am always pleasantly surprised when you like, comment, RT, and generally support yours truly.

There have been times when your niceness has actually made me cry. And I'm kind of a hard-a*s, so that's actually an excellent achievement on your part - keep up the good work guys! :)

So what's next for Diary of a Reading Addict (which I only realised a few weeks ago I can shorten to DORA - I'm so oblivious)?

Well, firstly, tomorrow I have a special review of a book called Star-Shot, from a Welsh publisher called Seren (which means Star) and an actual real-life giveaway on Twitter!

And yes, this is the first giveaway I will ever have done. They stress me out. See how much I love you guys?

So drop by tomorrow to check that out!

After that? Well, I'm going to keep shooting for the stars (I really couldn't resist that pun!) and I hope you'll want to join me ;)

Friday Fics Fix - Halloween Fun

I am now exceptionally good at avoiding the Halloween fanfiction trap that is pumpkin sex!

I mean it - no sex with pumpkins at all this week. Just one incident where a character wanted to carve a BDSM pumpkin (that's something I never thought I'd say!) and no, that's not the fic I'm recommending.

Turns out the trick is to keep to the Marvel fics. #TrueStory.

(And I really have no problem with that!)

Even though I'm a Stucky shipper through and through, this is a FreeBird fic.

(Fangirling notes:

Stucky = a relationship between Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Bucky Barnes.

shipper = someone who supports the idea of a relationship between two characters.

FreeBird = a relationship between Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson (Falcon))

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It's also set in a modern AU, and is quite sweet.

Plus it's good to see a fic which includes one of the relatively few People of Colour (PoC) superheroes who have made it to the big screen.

(Fangirling note: AU is Alternate Universe)






This is basically Steve 'n' Sam, working in a costume shop, and flirting a bunch before Halloween.

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This week's fic is:

Halloween Eve by why_didnt_i_get_any_soup

Enjoy! And, just because I'm ultra-nice, here are the links to my other Halloween Friday Fics Fix posts: 

Friday Fics Fix - Spoopy Stucky

Friday Fics Fix - One For All...

Friday Fics Fix - And Hit The Party With A Gas Can

Comics Wrap-Up - Here We Are Now

Film Trailers

Uber-short Doctor Strange trailer for you my dear nerdlets:

Graphic Novels

This week I read Who Killed Kurt Cobain? - The Story of Boddah (UK - US) by Nicolas Otero.

This is pretty dark, very graphic, mightily weird, and could probably do with being sealed in a child-proof 'Trigger Warning' box to ensure readers are suitably prepared... but for all that, I really liked it!

I'll be reviewing soon :)

I also binged on webcomics and read the first volume of Honeydew Syndrome.

This can be read for FREE here.

I quite enjoyed this dose of m/m-yaoi manga, but I did have some issues with it - little things like relationships which start with a punch to the face not being a great example.

The references to self-harm and suicide being a part of emo culture seemed a little too flippant/treated too lightly/over-simplifying for my liking.

That said - I totally binged on it, so it must be doing something right!

Like this post? Try these:

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The Writer Diaries - Micropoetry, October 2016

So, October is on it's way out, and it's time to show you the micropoetry I wrote this month.

It's kind of been an up-and-down month for me, depression-wise, so sorry if these are kind of a bummer... and there are only three of them.

Sorry.






10th October
How do they do it?
The charmed ones -
While we strive, struggle, scrimp, save,
The universe re-arranges itself,
To better suit them.





13th October
I'm so tired
Of feeling so tired
Not knowing what's required
of me. What should I do?
What do you want from me?
I'm so tired.

23rd October
Tired.
Running uphill just to stay in one place.
Tired of the struggle; of the fight; of the hate; of the dark.
Tired of being tired.








Like this post? Try these:

• The Writer Diaries - Micropoetry, September 2016
• The Writer Diaries - Micropoetry, August 2016