Liam

I know the language of the oppressor Tongues cutting flesh of the false professor They say, let us say, “Lord, hear us pray.” The sins of our fathers and mothers Remembered forever by none other Than the babes of those condemned Best to place the blame on “them” Look to the text where it is written Sexual sins suscept to be smitten Save the souls of the sacred believers The fires will burn unholy deceivers Banners over busy bypasses Signs made to reach the masses Claiming that some of us don’t belong Blaming one group for all that’s wrong Hating the already living Mourning the life not given To babies conceived of sexual assault Insisting it’s the girl or woman’s fault. Oh, the humanity of the majority To question the unseen authority A Deity with a capital “D” And of course , the pronoun HE Can never be the enemy If his D rose against her autonomy An apple doesn’t fall far from The wicked mouth and forked tongue Yet the evidence gently gloats From the man’s protected throat Stoicism b...

When I was 16, I had a pylonidal cyst and my mom’s reaction was to do a bunch of research and print out packets of information on how to treat it and how to tell if I needed surgery. For a while, it was the only topic she could think to bring up with friends and family (very embarrassing). She wanted to know everything and she wanted me to be okay. I ended up having surgery and I spent over a month recovering. During that time, I felt I had lots of attention on me that I didn’t want, but I felt cared about. It baffles me that when I came out to her that I had a girlfriend when I was 22, she internalized the news and blamed herself. She shared that she was sure my dad would blame her for me being gay. I had already come out to him a few days before, and he said “Of course this would happen to me. Don’t tell anyone.” In the decade after coming out, I married a woman (despite disapproval from the parents) and they had a “fine” relationship with her. Ten years… in all of that time, they di...

… they are heavy, though.