“i will fear no evil … (number 3)” — ORIGINAL (2019)

another in the “i will not fear…” series. based on psalm 23:4, “yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” one thing i had to figure out through writing *the lonely letters* is that the interpersonal loneliness of failed romantic relationships was not the primary thrust of the letters, that each was about religion and the loss of sacred community because of the attempt to live a life with integrity, which meant rejecting theological and doctrinal messages that equated queerness with sinfulness. the loneliness in *the lonely letters* is a searching and wresting for community and care after leaving behind, because of being rejected, forms of community. what does it mean to find worlds of care after being severed from that kind of social space? i recently said to my brother the worst part about leaving religious community is that people live and leave and there is no closure … missed weddings, child births, funerals, because you are no longer in those communities. what does one do in such a case? how can Psalm 23 resonate in such a circumstance? that’s been on my mind.