Queer Poems

There’s a certain ache to being queer

I don’t think it’s supposed to be there, but it grew over time

After so much violence, hatred, death

You start to ache learning about your own history

Between the joy of just being you

There’s the ache of knowing that your family may never truly accept you,

They’ll just try to ignore it.

There’s the ache of progress that so easily gets undone,

Then knowing you have to keep moving forward.

There’s the ache of loving someone,

Only to fear that they could be killed because of their love for you

Then, there’s a greater ache

Of being silent

Of hiding

Of trading yourself in for safety

There’s no winning for us and it hurts

I don’t blame others for choosing it,

But I gave up on safety in life a long time ago