November 29th: Tender

Submission by Daniel Grahn

In honor of the Transgender Day of Rememberence on November 20th (where we morn the trans/non-binary people who were killed in the past year--at least 37 people this year) I chose this excerpt. 

To me, this poem expresses the tenderness transgender (and cisgender LGB people) show to each other despite hardship many in the community face.

“song for the kicked out”

Kay Ulanday Barrett

“mama said leave this house, her spirit broken by ache

all my belongings freckled the streets

I slept outside, spirit stayin’ up, my journey isn’t self-made

I say all you laughin’ & jukin’ in the alleys

I say all you sleepin’ to roaches cries

I say all you couch surfin’ until the next night

I say all you kissin’ despite the fists and the fights

together we are a prayer, a chant, a song, no matter what

together we are an anthem despite their cis hetero fuss

together we are stronger than the world’s unsaids

together we are as mighty as our ancestors up from the dead

we are bigger than the skylines that hold us

we are bigger than the sirens that stab our hearts

we are bigger than the talk of boystown progress & bars

we are bigger than bleeding our blood to the stars

together we are a prayer, no matter what

together we are an anthem despite their cis hetero fuss

together we are stronger than the world’s unsaids

together we are as mighty as our ancestors up from the dead”

Barrett, Kay U. “song for the kicked out.” keybarrett.net, 2012, https://www.kaybarrett.net/song-for-the-kicked-out/. Accessed 22 November 2020.