by Tommi Avicolli Mecca
© 2019
my pride is defiant and raw
it’s not polite
it isn’t marketable
it won’t show up
in the Dow Jones averages
it’s not running for office
or joining the police force
the military
the church
it won’t cooperate with the FBI
CIA or Homeland Security
it doesn’t put kids in cages
tear gas asylum seekers
or criminalize the homeless
it knows that changing laws
and electing politicians
isn’t enough
it’s not a ribbon
a flag
a beer
or a hashtag
it isn’t trending or being tweeted
it’s not a Russian bot
or a meme
it’s not going shopping
or something I ordered online
it doesn’t stay in an AIRbnb
or call a Lyft
it doesn’t have a buffed body
a designer wardrobe
or a supply of party drugs
it doesn’t let me forget
all the murdered gay men
and trans women of color
the years that gay sex
and drag were illegal
or how this nation stood by
and let my friends die
it understands that no matter how
much things seem to change
I’m still not safe
my pride
is ever on guard
and always in your face
to a fagbasher
by Tommi Avicolli Mecca
© 2018
