Songs For The Struggling Artist

Last year, I wrote about my experience of giving blood for the first time. I read it again in the process of preparing the 2022 zine – and it made me think about what has happened since. You may remember how genuinely terrible the blood donation folks were at welcoming me, a newcomer. It was clear they were set up for regulars. As soon as I donated, the one time, it was clear that I was now a regular in the system’s eyes. Whereas, before I donated I never heard anything about blood donation, now that I was a regular, I hear from the blood center several times a month. I get more messages and phone calls from the blood people than I get from my family and friends. It’s wild. Having donated one single time, I, along with anyone else who’s donated, am expected to solve the citywide blood shortage. I suppose they figure they got blood out of you once, they’re going to get it to happen again. And I will say, I would like to donate again. I really do want to help. It will happen eventually. But the more they harass