By Cristina Michaels; A poem from TDOR 2018

Those souls we lost

Those souls you lost

Tears of pain

Tears for my fear

Tears for those 

That couldn’t live 

For that next day

This path

I now walk

That freed my soul

That freed my spirit

This trail threw the Aspen grove

To TDOR

This day of 

Grief

Pensiveness

Rage

Anger

Fear

Shock

This day of

Joy

Compassion

Love

Resolve 

Caring

Hugs

A candle 

A politician

The council member

The ally

Our lovers

Us 

Are we waiting 

In that line

To be remembered

That stark realization

This shackled free life

This society has put a bounty

On our flesh

Our sundown law

Our guillotine 

Will this be my day of remembrance

No pride for us

No same sex marriage for me

Just a day to remember

Reflect

No parade

Limited rights

Limited life

Freed life

Feared life

One of these alleys

Has a specific end

That we now have a day

For

Like our war veterans

And like those survivors

We meet upon this day

We reflect on this day

We ignore this day

Really

What

The 

Fuck

This is blatant hate

And they have  obtuse laws 

That protect

And ignorant

White patriarchal deer in headlights..

This is our AIDS epidemic

On this day

I pray

That none of my friends 

None of my loved ones

Will have to be remembered 

Or forgotten 

On this day… 

Until next year….