GLBT «

New Poem: We Planted These Trees By Hand

Dumbass 1 asks the questions
I hear most, Which one is the woman?
Which one do you call Ma?

I ask him back Which one of your parents takes it
from behind? Dumbasses 2 and 3 turn like wolves,
growling laughter. I get this, mostly from the guys,

girls, sometimes, too, when they travel
in packs and sharpen their teeth on anything
different: longer socks, new haircut, two dads.

I can see it in their eyes, though, jealous of my solid pair
to their awkward four, to their bickering three,
to their lonely one and weekend visits; no stepmonsters

in my house, just footballs and violins, rooms full
of the smell of baking bread and used books. I can name
the last 20 Secretaries of State. My batting average

is .385. I know my home wasn’t created
by a six-pack and a busted rubber. They fought
for me. They won. Who fought you into existence?

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Because of the success of Sibling Rivalry Press (YAY), and the intense publishing schedule that we’ve put in place, I’m taking a brief hiatus from the blog. But, dear readers, I’m leaving you with a parting gift, my contribution to the It Gets Better Project.

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October 11, 2010

National Coming Out Day 1998

As a sophomore I skipped my classes,
hid in my dorm-room closet, lived on warm soda

and stale crackers and pissed in a cup
instead of walking down the hallway

or across campus, instead of making
myself an easy target for sniper glances

of categorical identification as deadly as a bullet
to my Southern-Baptist chest. For twelve hours

of daylight, I stood mute, a boy fearful
of the monsters under his creaking bed,

of judgmental angels with letterman jackets,
of firing squad congregations, without even

a glimmer in the warzone of a miseducated brain
that one day, I’d feel autumn on my shirtless skin.

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September 24, 2010

By Request: Got Your Back (An Angry Poem) – Spoken Word

For Dhyan, the spoken-word version of my response to the continuation of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell:

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September 1, 2010

Sibling Rivalry Press – Accepting Submissions

I’ve been busy revamping the website for Sibling Rivalry Press. To quote Jay-Z (who, thanks to my new generation iPod Shuffle and its need to play the same song again and again, is stuck in my head), “I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man!”

And we are open for business. We’re accepting submissions for Assaracus, a new (quarterly?) journal focused on gay writers, and we’re also accepting submissions of poetry chapbooks and manuscripts (not exclusive to GLBT content or authors). The plan is to publish four books in 2011, and the reading period will remain open until those slots are filled.

Details on SRP’s website.

Spread the word, baby. Who’s ready to fly the flag of artistic outlaw?

9 comments

Tag: GLBT

February 2, 2011