Vocal Manipulations by Maggie D. Fedorov | Art by S. Putnik

Vocal Manipulations
By Maggie D. Fedorov
Art by S. Putnik
Published Issue 101, May 2022

I hear voices

but it’s not the paranoia

Talking;

Different mouths speak,

but the voice is not their own.

I recognize this voice,

Know it by heart.

I know from

Whence the whispers crept;

from lecherous pit

to unsuspecting minds

Where his words lay in wait

for Me.

But the emotion meant to tug

at my heartstrings

Is not his either, but

Theirs.

I’ll not be swayed

despite this

Shocking; endless rocking.

I hear voices

but it’s not the paranoia

Talking;

I’m just too preoccupied enjoying what my life is without you in it to pay much heed to the din you intentionally stir up to try to get me to make you feel important again.

Born and raised in the Greater Seattle Area, Maggie D. Fedorov began to develop her inquisitive nature and lust for exploration when she was very small. Maggie considers herself a lifelong learner, and as such she spends much of her free time reading, researching, honing her skills in the arts and other hobbies, and naturally, planning her next adventures!

Maggie’s writing stems from a desire to delve into and capture what it means to be human at its very core; this tug-of-war that we play with the elements which mold our lives as we fight and embrace them, and using our observations to develop more vital roots anchoring us to the elements we all battle and nurture in our own lives. It was out of a compulsive need to share this form of expression and exploration that Maggie Fedorov, the writer, was born.

Maggie shares her travels and her life with her husband, Sam. The two are often found indulging in desserts, collectively dreaming about their future fur babies, and attempting to achieve Nirvana through the flawless integration of bad puns and dad jokes in normal conversation. See more on her Instagram.

Siena Goldman aka S. Putnik lives in her birthplace, Los Angeles, where she has spent her lifetime so far experimenting with the visual and musical arts. She loves working with pencil, pastel, watercolor, crayon and collage to convey interesting textures, color palettes, and moods in her multi-media artwork. As a 25 year old, she has spent a lot of life in school, uncomfortably switching districts and trying to fit in. Now, she is just stepping out yet again, this time stuck in the squeeze of birth as a young artist. Check out her Instagrams: cheesewizdevil9 & showroomdummys.

Check out Maggie’s last published Birdy piece, The Old Gods, and S. Putnik’s April art install, or head to our Explore section to see more work by these talented artists.