Lush Anansi Tales

Feeling Pride

Pride,
It took a while for me to feel it,
to live it, to breathe it,
took a while for me to love,
the way I fell in love.
Took a while for me to see,
being queer, being black, being fat,
being not quite butch enough,
being not just quite enough,
was never really my insecurities,
but just fictitious infections,
fueled by a commercialized society,
setting fucked up ideals,
perpetuated by
people who never really mattered anyway,
the "It" crews,
the pit crews,
the no fats, no fems, no Asians crews,
the "We don't hate, we just discriminate" boos,
who could never really hold a candle to you,
especially not when your self-love burned bright,
illuminated by the rainbow of truth,
and from the truth that the entirety of me,
deserved to be loved,
to be fought for and celebrated, 
 I took pride in the light I made. 

Burning bright it made me truly see,
bringing into focus the unique beauty of me,
and now I try to ignite that fire,
in everyone around me, 
I draw strength from those who went before, 
the drag queens, 
the dikes, 
the man and women of the trans experience, 
and the gays who all had the courage it took to live,
and to love unapologetically,
and to fight to be free.

Pride is now a warriors cry,
and today we're being called to lead the revolution,
to free the world from the darkness,
draw close the spirits of our ancestors like armor,
let the light if your self-love burn bright 
so we can march proud,
until we are all set free,
free with Pride.

Ian Michado Royer (C) 2020
Art by James Hacket (C) 2020