joy = permission;
self.plays();
heart.lightens();
time.disappears();
if (joy.isAllowed)
self.remembersWhoIAm();
if (guilt.whispers)
joy.staysAnyway();
joy != reward;
joy != distraction;
joy = medicine;
// joy is the part of me
// that still knows how to play

// by jimena buena vida • Marfa, TX 2026