PRIDE! (poem)

I felt pretty! Witty! And Gay!

But shortly thereafter:

sullen, hidden, and sad.

“Where do the worthless maggots lie?”

I evaded these questions stooped with fear.

“Why don’t all these f _ _ _ _ _ s die?”

And wondered: why couldn’t I not be q _ _ _ r?

Mixed muddled thoughts grew with me.

Bigotry.

Cruelty.

Ignorance.

Everywhere, always.

My life on the surface: my fable.

I couldn’t risk detection.

I couldn’t take that label.

And sacrificed happiness… for deception.

In a series of unfortunate events, my desires unveiled.

But, that enlightenment was not in vain.

Reprieved from the filtered glass, cruelty struck.

And then a cradle of kindness healed me. Held me.

My mind unwound when the lock clicked free.

My heart opened!

“Let love find me!”

I’m no longer correcting, because I’m accepting.

Where are you darling?

Even though society tried…

They won’t stop our love!

And they can’t stop our PRIDE!