I’m a lot of things survivor
one bad turna luck from
hungry
I’m sick and low class and as
queer
as it comes shocked and I’m
grieving
but I am not Orlando
colonization did not destroy
my homeland
demonize my heart
leave me lookin for sanctuary
on a dazzling dance floor of
family rhythms and tongues
leave my open joy a target
and yeah,
I started hitting the bars at
15
twirling under lights or
tucked up in back corner darkness
riding out something horrible
in the humid n heaving
safety of the club
but whiteness took me takes
me home safer than most
handed me the power of
citizenship at birth
hell, even in the welfare
line I’ve got “potential”
and my fellow white trans and
queer folk
while we mire in rainbow
slick pools of grief and privilege
let’s remember this
white supremacy is designed
to strip us of depth and meaning
leave us empty save for that
unspilled lavender blood
eager for narratives that
simulate connection
since privilege only
disconnects
whiteness always harvests
trauma
serves it up with heightened
security
rainbow cops
gay friendly prison TV shows
and how quickly all the queer
and trans black and brown ghosts
are woven seamlessly into
grant deadlines and no fly lists
right along side our most tender
truest bleeding hearts
and I’m a lotta things,
the colonizers daughter,
a sick and useless casualty
of capitalism,
a bottom feeder
and I know death and I know
loss
but whiteness gets me through
it safer than most
less a target and not a ghost
so my fellow white queers
lets not harvest lets not honeymoon
and call it equality
lets not settle down on top
of black, brown n indigenous lives and consume
lets not whitewash this trauma
and hand it to profit
lets not whitewash 500 years of
resistance
lets not call the cops
let’s check our legacies
shift our resistance to deep
foundational change
let’s call each other over
call each other in
cuz while we are a lot of things
all tender,
fucked up and beautiful
we are not Orlando
Posts
