Poetry

I Couldn’t Get Through Menstrual Hell Without Canada Dry

A tanka of thanks

Cold sweat adorning glorious green, red and white No, not ginger beer a kinder, gentler cousin Oh healer of menstrual woes

Tanka is a form of Japanese poetry where 31 syllables are arranged into a 5/7/5/7/7 grouping. I like to challenge myself with Japanese poetry because short-form is far outside my comfort zone, and discomfort is vital for growth.

I wrote about Canada Dry because I truly do love it. I have Pre Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), which presents differently in different people with uteri. For me, it means having an eight or nine-day period every 14–17 days.

My periods are painful and come with fun side effects like suicidal ideation, fevers, night sweats, nausea, and loss of appetite. I usually have one or two days where even the smell of food makes me want to vomit.

On those days, a can of Canada Dry just this side of frozen transcends the limitation of liquid and becomes both manna and medicine. I don’t know how many more periods I’ll have before this factory closes its doors for good. Two hundred? Three? Five? I shudder just thinking about it. But I do know that as long as I have that icy can of bubbly goodness at my side, I’ll make it through.

This poem was inspired by Oh, Mango, written by Ashlea Morgan and published in The Brain is a Noodle. For more delicious food appreciation poems, check out Tiny Trees by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) or A Traveling Tea Emporium by KSHernandez. Check out the new drink I can’t wait to try in Allison Gaines’ Behind Every Classic Cocktail Is The Story Of A Curious Mixologist.

Ajah Hales is a writer, race educator, and social thinker from East Cleveland, Ohio. When her mother asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, Ajah replied: “A dictator.” These days Ajah is more interested in changing the world than taking it over. You can find Ajah on Twitter @AjahsWrite, you can hire her through ajahhales.com.