Iris Robedeaux

 Bio:

I am a 21 year-old emerging poet, raised in Mesa, Arizona. I'm a Spring 2025 Graduate in Data Science, and I'll be staying at NAU to gain a Master's in Statistics starting in the fall. My work is informed by my own experiences as a transgender person coming into her own during the digital age. 

Artist's Statement:

These poems aim to both be short while still encompassing what I consider to be key events in my life. In our current political climate, I find myself both a pacifist and generally angry. For "With theStars," I ponder how queerness is intangible. It exists within me while still existing within nature, within others, with space. It's truly infinite. "Limping," to me, feels like the mantra of moving forward. Some objectify me, some claim I should be ashamed, but I affirm that I can move forward. I hope that with every step forward, we can heal ourselves and our community. 

Poems by Iris Robedeaux

With the Stars

I hear it in the harsh cawing of crows

When there's never a moment of repose

When you're wondering how many arrows

Until the quiver reveals a rifle

I won't stop carefully crafting letters J

ust to end up burning them into ash

Nothing hits like a cable knit sweater

When all you feel is the tree car smash

In a place only seen before daybreak

Six thousand promises locked up in jars

Search the coarse river, dredge the deep blue lake

I won't be anywhere but with the stars

Limping

Haphazardly he closed all his browser tabs

I still see titles of videos in the cyberspace

Some with words that feel like gut stabs

Slurs or slang, words he'd never say to my face

How could I forget October 7th,

the Venmo apology

Rules broken that could never be mended again

That debt keeps coming to collect inconsistently

But I'm getting better at limping on my strain

Mending body trust is a lesson in self appreciation

Showing gratitude for the one step backwards

The comfort in familiar ground hinders hesitation

I nourish myself before taking another step forward