Shout out to aros who realized they weren’t aro later in life.
You weren’t “fake” or “going through a phase”. People grow and learn more about themselves all the time. Identifying as one thing during a point in your life because it helped you describe how you were feeling is nothing to be ashamed of.
Additionally, shout out to aros who didn’t realize they were aro until later in life.
There is a lot of pressure these days to find a romantic partner, and it can often force you to be in a romantic relationship when you are not comfortable with it.
since i never see any positivity for aros like me, here’s a post for the ones with low empathy:
shoutout to the aromantic people with low empathy, the ones with antisocial or narcissistic personalities, the autistic aromantic people, the ones that everyone vehemently tries to erase to make aromanticism seem more “okay” to alloromantic people. it’s perfectly fine to not feel connected to people in general and to identify as aro due to this. you’re still valid. it’s okay to not relate to humanity to the point where you can’t possibly picture yourself falling in love. it’s okay to only experience platonic feelings for people because you don’t want to bother with having to consider another person’s feelings in the way romance requires. shoutout to the aros that actually are somewhat “heartless” and don’t care about others, the psychopathic aros, the sociopathic aros, the narcissistic aros.
i feel like the aro community as a whole spends so much time on positivity and making sure people understand that most aromantic people can love people platonically or do experience deep meaningful connections with people that they forget that, for some of us, our inability to relate to people and indifference to others does not make us any less aro.
15
I always wear a ring
Black
Right hand
Middle finger
It’s symbolic, I tell my parents
and because my mother still thinks
she raised me with manners
and I hate disappointing her
I don’t mention that it’s also
convenient
when I need to flip off the next guy who calls me a prude.
14
“It’s a thing, a real thing.”
“No, I’m serious!”
“It’s not a choice.”
“The ‘A’ doesn’t stand for ally!”
“I’m older NOW.”
13
I’m…not…broken?
12
I break down on my mother’s shoulder
crying and letting her rub my knuckle with her thumb
because I know I don’t like boys
and I just got a letter from my best friend
and I miss her so much
and I don’t understand myself
because no one’s ever bothered explaining
what it means to love someone
without wanting to kiss them.
11
Someone gives me a novel
and the pieces fall together when I read it.
…THAT’S where babies come from?
Why would anyone DO that?
…No, I really don’t think I’ll like it when I’m older.
10
My friend is going on a date
and all I can think is
“You really wanted to kiss him?”
I start to wonder what I’m not understanding.
9
I have friends now
and they ask me, giggling,
“Who do you have a crush on?
‘Oh, right,’ I think
remembering books
‘People talk about that sort of thing.’
So I pick at random.
He looks nice and I can make up stories about him.
Isn’t that what everyone else is doing?
(he moves away six months later
I’m happy I never had to kiss him.)
8
One of the other girls uses the word “hot”
I ask her what it means.
She says “You know” and giggles.
…I really don’t.
7
Why do people in movies always have to keep kissing?
6
My parents talk to me
about boys.
Why?
5
I can read books myself now.
People are still kissing.
I still don’t like it.
I miss Aidan at school
because no one else will play tag with me.
4
Aidan and I are going to get married someday.
We’ll have a trampoline and five dogs
I kiss him on the cheek.
He kisses me on the cheek.
I think we’ll have a wedding without kissing
But lots of cake!
3
I don’t like kissing stories.
Mom says I will when I’m older.
2
1
0
My parents are planning to support their child
no matter what gender they like to kiss.
They never do realize that ‘none of the above’ is an option.
¯_( ಠ_ಠ)_/¯ 