"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

11/20/12

End of the month came and went, and I completely forgot to post an original poem.  I know - the shame, the shame!  Anyway, here you are.  Feels like a lifetime ago.

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11/20/12



 
I came out today.
It was in a quietly safe place,
An office erected
For the heady business
Of self-exploration.

As I spoke,
I listened to the tear-stained echoes
Of trepidatious students
Who somehow summoned the strength
To unfold themselves
For another person to see,
And I did what I could
To draw from their courage.

I addressed a carpet-skimming desk drawer,
Because I couldn’t
Look him in the eye.
Still, he protected me
With his gentle listening,
A calm breeze
To cool the ague of my babble.

Today, I stopped holding my breath
And instead held his hand
To steady me
As I inched across
The tightrope hanging inside myself.

You may look
At my aromantic asexuality
And see fear –
Fear of sex,
Fear of closeness,
Fear of rejection,
Fear of giving over –
But when I wrapped my voice around those words
And said them aloud
For someone to hear,
I don’t know that I’ve ever
Been so brave.

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