Tuesday, May 20, 2025

The day you joined the Christopher Street parade

The day you joined the Christopher Street parade


All the boys, young sad and gay

Collapsing in strange places

But no place to stay

Sexy at an after work party

Gay slurs while kissing 

from the cabbie

Strangers and heroes and the hot guy 

who stole your Jobriath LP

Falling over in fevers.


Looking all the way up the sidewalk, 

History between these two islands

Cold comfort and uneasy crosses

All the water afforded us, 

100 years and all the dross

Is whatever left behind

Underneath the floorboards. 


The burning building

The rotting barn

All the things we built

Collapsing into the dark place

While lonely lines keep humming

On. 


Your name here

On this watch, this name tag

Your smell on the shirts your wore

Beads from 1993 and 

Some opera swag

Another pair of slippers 

Never to experience feet

And others things you swore

Wouldn’t turn to sand

And defeat.


Should have had them check your head

Red fag after red flag

After regrets

Left you to join the Christopher Street parade,

A place where others would fade,

Now one along the line in angels to 

Exalt with joy and rage.






 

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