Pink and Purple Triangles
Location
It started with that first girl
And I remember because of her orange hair
And the way my sister freaked when I said the girl was beautiful
And I started listening more, paying attention
While secretly coloring outside the lines
Overheard the speeches
The 1960s values, myths and fears
Trying to find the difference between conservative and close minded
While church became painful, and I cried every Sunday
And my friends’ boyfriends called me fag
And my brother called my kind perverted, the real molester
And my mother could have gay friends
Just not gay family members
And I became a pornographic fetish, an image
In the minds of millions
But I’m not my sexuality, and I’m not simply flesh
Others want to put us in boxes
Straight, gay, lesbian
This gender obsession
And I can’t just love someone
Regardless of identification
Their voices become harder to shut out
Sadness and anger turn to fear and depression
Dreams of car accidents, and going to sleep
Bloody mouths and missing teeth
And I wonder if those three months of therapy were worth anything
Because she’s right, and eyeliner’s cheaper than antidepressants
Rebellion’s a dirty word when it comes to this kind of thing
But when those closet walls are pushing in, suffocating
I consider a brand, a tattoo that’s empowering
Pink and purple triangles, to help me remember
That I am not sick
And I am not wrong
And God
Wherever he/she is
Doesn’t hate me