PRIDE (2.0)

Chapter I 

Full spectrum

from black and white

I've earned every stripe

Of these rainbow fibers

Woven refraction 

Into crystalline skin

Used to stripe myself

Someone

With nowhere to belong

Felt like I never did

Poor kid

Dumped by Daddy

Just as soon

As he dumped his seed into

The bastard stew

Of my mother's womb

Familiarized with feeling

Displacement

Before I ever even knew

The difference

Between being queer

And just being a bit odd

Following 

A Furious God

Well-versed in

Merciless fire

lost, profaned

I grew accustomed to His

Flames

Blood became

An acquired taste

From biting my tongue

Even laughed at the expense

Of one of my friends,

Ashamed to say

I lacked the courage

To come to her defense

When they said,

"She is such a dyke,

Like, it is so obvious"

Fear twinges in lightning strikes

Would they suspect me next?

At fifteen,

Had my first lick of freedom

Between my best friend's legs

The kind of sweet nectar

You never forget

Softness that feels like sin

Scent of cinnamon

Exotic flora

Unfolding from waves

Long brown hair

Cascading across

My pillowcase

Tangled between eager fingertips

Hesitant to explore

The trenches of

Honey milk

Moistened lips

Quivering with every exhale

Temptation

Turns

Tall tales.

Suddenly it’s simply

Experimentation

With the token Asian;

Collectible notches,

Fashionable belt

Chapter II

Lemme tell you

what queerness looks like

With the closet door ajar

Came out a couple times,

still never strayed too far

There is this strange sense of comfort I guess 

In the presumed facade of straightness

Because most people bend a little bit

Without knowing what to call it

-and it's only gay if you say it is

Otherwise it's just a kink,

You think,

The closet isn't so bad,

Still curious to take a peek

Outside

From time to time

Breath of fresh air

Comes with new toys

And memories shared

With friends we call friends

Who are more for a night

Single-serving doses of freedom

Complementary flight

Compliments to the chef

Favorite meal remains unsaid

Unpacking these groceries

With a heavy head

Tabled conversations

Had me going to bed hungry

Unfed appetites

Left me famished

Self sabotage became

A fluent language

Chapter III

I finally grew weary

of talking in circles

Speaking only with my eyes

I swallowed my PRIDE

Found myself digesting truth

Licking my lips

Distancing from memories of closed door closets

Finally I could proudly say

I don’t give a fuck!

What you call gay 

I’ve learned to call love

Or by any other name

Call it complicated, call it fluid, call it lust 

But never call it in shame

Baby, it doesn’t matter what’s between your legs

As long as you can stand beside me

There’s too much hate in this world

To keep on hiding

The light outside can be blinding

But it’s never been so clear

So please,

Come here

Where the sun can kiss every piece of you

You used to hide in fear

Love is love

The world is finally starting to wake up

Good morning beautiful

You are more than enough

Exactly how you are

You are a star

A work of art

Painted across the darkness of night

You inspire others 

still finding themselves

Through every broken mirror and every fight

You shine

With every rainbow fiber of your crystalline skin

You never have to feel alone again

Never did

You are one of God’s favored children

Bringing change to a world of sin

So go,

Dance to your favorite song 

I promise

This is where you belong

If they must call us weird, crazy, or freaks

Let it be because we are unafraid to speak 

Let them christen us gay because we are free to be happy.