About TÁL
Tál Anya Caritas is a Eurasian-American writer whose storytelling explores psychological and spiritual questions of the heart in love and relationships. She is a cis, polyamorous pansexual. After surviving child abuse, neglect, and violation, she invested years in personal development work and psychotherapy, and became a social worker to help people who struggled with mental illness, drugs, and domestic violence. She then left healthcare to address injustice on a larger scale by working at the intersection of financial technology, human rights, and law, advising entrepreneurs in emerging technology companies.
Caritas has a life-long passion for creative writing and has published in Magee Park Poets Anthology, performed spoken word globally and in her native San Diego with awards from Full Moon Poets and Friends of the Cardiff Library.
Caritas is a digital nomad based in New York.
Writing Wrongs
Ways people have told me I am wrong:
That's nothing to cry about
That's for boys
You're so skinny
You need to eat more
You’re too old to wet the bed
You’re not a boy
You must learn how to cook because you’re a girl
He gets to play outside because he's a boy
You have to stay inside and clean because you're a girl
What's wrong with you
You dress and walk like a boy
Fix her
Are you a lesbian
We're lesbos but we shouldn't say anything
Don't ever talk about this with anyone
This is our little secret
Keep it between us or there will be trouble
You can't go out with him because he's white
You can't go out with him because he's black
Why are you always breaking out in hives
Why are you always breaking the rules to suit you
Why do you always follow the rules
You're so straight-laced
You're such a liar
You look innocent, but deep down you're deceitful
I didn’t raise you to be a protestor
You're a failure
You don't have anything to show for your efforts
You don't have a legacy
Why do you need tattoos
Motorcycles are dangerous
You’re too pretty to be a feminist
Those shoes make you look gay
Those pants make you look gay
No one here fucks men
You’re obviously straight
You look like a Barbie doll
Why do you shave
You're just buying into societal standards of beauty
You're supporting the patriarchy
Life will be hard for you if you come out gay
Set your tent up there because you're bi
You're just pretending to smoke pot
You're so fake
Stop bringing up the past
Why can’t you just get over it
Move on
You don't want to be a stripper
You don't want to be a call girl
You don't want to be a CHP officer
You don't want to work for the government
If you join the military, you're evil
If you're working in pharma, you're evil
If you're working in finance, you're evil
If you're working in tech, you're evil
Why are you going to the hack-a-thon
You can't write code
Blockchain is a fad like CAPTCHA
Bitcoin is worthless
We don't need more lawyers
Get a real job
Money is evil
Artists are poor
Writers are self-indulgent, narcissistic intellectuals
You're selfish
You need to go back to church
Catholics are pagans
Witches are evil
You can't be a pagan & love Jesus
But you're not Jewish
You're confusing
You’re wearing too much make-up
Who are you trying to impress
You look like a prostitute
You act like a prostitute
You've really gained a lot of weight
You’re too loud
Did you know you’re the only woman here
You think and act like a dude
Who the fuck are you
Why are you such a bitch
You don't need that
How can you forgive the men who violated you
What are you thinking
What planet are you on
Where do you get these ideas
You're a woman, but you're a man
No one else thinks like you do
You must not really love your husband if you love someone else
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
You're a bad girl
Slut
Whore
You’re crazy
You're complicated
You’re fucked up
You’re no angel
You can't be serious
You can’t do that
You’re too honest
You’re too direct
You’re just wrong
Do you really wanna talk about that?
Do you really wanna write about that?
