I
My life is no more different than yours.
I begin my day with a piece of toast and an egg.
I wear a suit, neat and ironed, and go to work.
I meet my boss and coworkers
They all love me, for I am diligent
With my work, and a friendly soul.
I sometimes visit my parents,
Who cook delicious meals and
Wait eagerly for my return.
On weekends, I go to bars,
Not the ones that too many others go to,
And enjoy, drink, kiss, and have a good time
With the one I love.
This is a secret.
None of my friends know where I disappear on those nights.
II
Yes, I came out as gay to the world
On Facebook.
Yes, I had the courage
to do it.
I do not, however, have the courage to be left
All alone.
The shops selling bread refuse to sell bread to me.
I often find myself hungry in the mornings,
As I did not have the courage to accept that humiliation.
My boss is polite, though I hear
The promotion that I was meant to be given
Will be given to a friend.
The coworkers shun me completely
Refuse to talk to me, and sometimes,
Look at me oddly,
As though I am a zoo animal.
My parents have shifted, and have not told me where they are.
They refuse to contact me.
My loving, supportive parents.
And I fear to leave my small apartment every night
As I think of the bar where I used to go to to forget my pains
I was going there that night, and on the way I heard,
They shot all my friends,
And the one I love.
I’m all alone, and no one to love me.
All because the one I loved was someone of the same sex.
Are you listening?
Will you be my friend in this cruel world?
- Poem: Just Another Gay Person - June 17, 2016