listen, my children
and you shall hear
of a time less kind
to being queer
a time when gays
were rarely seen
on the small
or silver screen
when even the l-word
was deemed obscene
and few were aware
what queen could mean
a time before
gay clubs were in
a time when love
was called a sin
if it didn’t fit
in a rockwell frame
if it dared
to speak its name
a time when no one
even spoke
of couples made
of bloke and bloke
or bird and bird
unless some rancid joke
was heard
whispered in a private club
or yelled out
in a rowdy pub
a time
when brave souls
risked their limbs
and risked their lives
acknowledging their deepest drives
were to connect
with their own kind
in body
and of course in mind
a time
when most would never think
to proudly march
instead of slink
into the dark
and cramped confines
of closets
where the old designs
of society and church
were hung
and stored
with hatred’s fetid dung
so listen, my children
and you shall hear
how far we’ve come
away from fear
how those before you
braved the wrath
of reverend
and psychopath
and stood their ground
to love themselves
and free their kind
to be at peace
in home and mind
and though our progress
is hard-got
and we are in
a better spot
still many battles
must be fought
a lot has changed
a lot has not