Never Have I Ever
[ by Ari Chadwick-Saund ]
Never have I ever broken every single rule
Or skipped the fall myself to let someone else play the fool.
I’ll die here on this hill if that’s how it crumbles down;
I’m gullible, naïve as hell and often play the clown.
But through my mired existence, a ray of light shines through –
Though I’m the grandest chump I know, I’m (luckily) not you.
Ari Chadwick-Saund (they/them) is a South Asian/mixed race nationally produced playwright and multidisciplinary artist based in Portland, Oregon. They are a proud company member of Theatre Diaspora, Oregon's only professional AANHPI theatre company. Poetry publications include collections in Pile Press, Mythos Magazine, and Drip Literary Magazine. They enjoy collaborating with Portland, OR area companies; some include Profile Theatre, Body Home Fat Dance, APANO and Literary Arts.