With one exception, “31 December 2012,” these poems were written in response to a suggestion in spring 2018 by a member of my chosen family, my friend Ember, that I should try writing poems about people I care about. I still haven’t finished the series to cover the entirety of my chosen family, but here is what I have so far, alphabetized by the names of the people the poems are about:
- Beth, my chosen sister from chemistry grad school — “To Beth”
- Cathy, a close friend from undergraduate — “To Cathy”
- Caroline Mitter, a close friend from high school who died in September 2019 —
- Deepthi, a close friend from undergraduate, who I sometimes jokingly called an older brother —
- Ember, a close friend from chemistry grad school who suggested the project — “To Ember”
- Grace, my best friend from high school — “To Grace”
- Jan, my first girlfriend (now ex and friend), written while dating her — “To Jan”
- Liz, a friend from undergraduate who made me realize I was trans — “To Liz”
- Niphada, a friend whom I met shortly after leaving chemistry grad school — “To Niphada”
- Nyri, another friend whom I met shortly after leaving chemistry grad school — “To Nyri”
- Shulin, a close friend from chemistry grad school — “To Shulin”
- Viv, an ex who died in December 2020 —