I love you? Have no greater words fled from your lips? I want you A boy, alone no longer, sits Accustomed to his bright red lips Upon which smoke his cigarettes A throat unsore but remedied In pasts upholding royalty And yellow lights and walls of white And medicines of you tonight So do I dare remise you Or try again to call you What possibilities befall you Do I do or die for you Give you what you want me to Or take it to a brighter blue And show you what you put me through In stormy minds but all ill do Is tell you how much I love you

Rubeen Salem

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I create art with an aim to inspire others to allow themselves the permission to feel their vulnerabilities. Growing up with divorced parents, I had moved a lot in my youth. This made it difficult to establish a secure sense of identity. With the drastic changes in the culture and personalities of where I lived, it was hard to find a self I was secure in. I found myself pretending to be someone I’m not to appeal to new company and make friends easier. I learned that we get to create who we are, and not to play into who we think others want us to be. It wasn’t until the Fall of 2022 that I found myself having become a version of myself that I love. And I wish I knew sooner how to be myself, and how to love and appreciate that self, despite others not. Through my art, I intend to instill in others the acceptance of their true selves, the permission to feel their emotions fully, and the confidence to share that with others—sharing because we are all worthy of loving and being loved.