{
  "id": 12593893,
  "title": "Trans Becoming and the Failure of Language",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/trans-becoming-and-the-failure-of-language",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-07T09:07:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Literary Hub",
    "slug": "literary-hub",
    "url": "https://lithub.com/trans-becoming-and-the-failure-of-language/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A decade ago, a surgical procedure was performed on my chest to remove my breasts, a decision I had longed for and felt was essential. The journey to this point was a winding path, a series of observations of my relationship with the image reflected in mirrors, lamp-lit windows, and photographs of my own face and shoulders, revealing a disconnect that had gradually grown from discomfort into shame and estrangement. Within this tumultuous space, trans poetics provided me with a language to support my evolving self-reflection. Poetry, a form that thrives on the failure of language, allows for the exploration of human experiences and natural phenomena in ways that traditional grammar cannot capture. In this realm, Gaston Bachelard's observation holds true: imagination extends beyond reality, creating images that sing reality. This poetic exploration is central to the trans becoming journey—imagining a body beyond the constraints of its designated boundaries. Writing becomes a personal ritual, a way to sound out each line and move towards meaning, often done alone to fully absorb and construct the lyrics. The influence of Taylor Johnson's debut collection, Inheritance, was profound; it introduced me to trans poetics through his unbridled lyrics that blend image and music. His poem \"Trans is Against Nostalgia\" encapsulated my desire to frame my body as a unique form, \"my bodyboat,\" while later verses offered a new language that I am learning by speaking it. Similarly, Aishvarya Arora's work, Mr.Time, speaks to the evolving language of trans bodies and their continuous transformation, akin to a sonic mystery revealed through articulation. The title of my poetry collection, HUM, draws from Urdu, meaning both \"we\" and \"I,\" reflecting the interconnectedness of trans experiences and the sound of our articulations. In English, it serves as a gesture of sound, emphasizing the movement of self-discovery. My writing process mirrors the trans journey—a continuous, public attempt to articulate who we are and who we will no longer be. The surgeon's question about scar shapes highlighted the struggle to redefine my identity, as manhood and boyhood remain embedded in my consciousness. Arora's poem \"I’m not trying to be a man / how birdsong isn’t trying to be an orchestra\" resonates deeply, acknowledging the negation of my desire while finding present affirmation. Poetry, as Johnson describes in \"Chiaroscuro,\" is an imprecise naming, yet a naming that creates and reveals our reality. As a poet myself, I find solace in the musicality of language, allowing me to visualize my reflection and embrace the foggy beginnings of my trans becoming. The imagery of a cage, presented in Johnson's \"Trans/figuration,\" represents the narrow lines of prescribed gender that confine us, but poetry offers a way to break through these barriers. Ultimately, my trans becoming is not only shaped by medical interventions but also by the poetic voices that guide and support me, pulling apart the iron bars of language and gender to reveal a more expansive understanding of self.",
  "summary": "Nine months ago, a surgeon cut into my chest to remove my breasts because this is what I had come to want and need. The road to this arrival was wending, wooded, years of observing my relationship to the image",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}