7 Essays To Read This Weekend: Mothers, Dick Pics, And Cops

When both her mother and mother-in-law became ill, Kim S. Acosta found herself in a love triangle. Though she wanted to be a better daughter to her birth mom, her mother-in-law gave her the uncomplicated love that she had always desired. Read her story at BuzzFeed Ideas.

Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly," already heralded as a classic, has become a portrait of race dynamics in post-Ferguson America. Despite the rapper's lyrical talent and masterful storytelling, however, there is one key problem with the album: It contains barely any discussion on the liberation of black women, Raquel Willis wrote in an essay for Medium this week. "For an album that is being touted as a great reflection of racial oppression it does so at the expense of black women." Read it at Medium.

Graham Campbell, who is a former NYPD officer, wrote a piece on why cops aren't speaking out about police brutality. While you might not like what he has to say, his honesty makes for a compelling essay. Read it at BuzzFeed Ideas.

After a breakup, we tend to think of former significant others as mistakes. With time, however, those sentiments may change. Clarissa Wei wrote a poignant piece on love, how it sometimes isn't enough, and how to embrace the past lovers — even the ones that are no longer in your life. Read it at xoJane.

"Dick pics are ... like a bird head left on a stoop by a cat, it’s a gift — sort of — but for who? It’s a trophy with someone else’s name engraved on it," Mary HK Choi hilariously wrote in an essay on dick pics, ex-boyfriends, and growing old. In it, she explains how sonograms, like the naked selfies, are the ultimate dick pics. Read it at BuzzFeed Ideas.

An anonymous gay trans man came out to the men in his life about how he's not the straight girl they thought he was. Their reactions ranged from "caught the gay" freakouts to the more appropriate: saying OK and freaking out later. Read about the writer's experience at BuzzFeed LGBT.

Eight years after her mother's death, Kate Spencer has finally started healing. But losing her grief is almost as terrifying as losing her mom. Her moving essay recalls memories of her mother and how Spencer coped in the days without her mom. Read it at BuzzFeed Ideas.