It is trans day of remembrance

Another vigil
Another memorial
More and more lost each year

Truly, from the depth of my soul
Damn it all to hell
I wish to remember their love
I wish to remember their joy
I see the absence of light
I refuse to know them as a statistic
The thirty first trans woman killed that year
The twenty second black woman shot that year
The fifty eighth black trans woman murdered that year

They are so much more
They are more
Why can’t we remember their love
Rather than their moment of fatal terror
Their life and joy and love!
Their community and smile!
Their jingling and booming laughs!
Was their joy and power not more important?
Are the names of those who love them not more important than the names of those who hurt them?

Remembrance is about joy to me
Remembrance is about love to me
Remembrance is about power to me
Remembrance is about warmth to me
Remembrance is found in the moments of exhilaration they felt
When called by their real name for the first time
The moments of safety they felt
When they were surrounded by other queer fighters
The moments of glee they felt
When they and their best friend laughed together

Rest in peace
Rest in love
Rest in strength
Rest in power
When will we stop losing you?