Hate crime has always been with us, including physical as well as verbal abuse targeting gay people - especially gay men; whatever the motivation, it is never excusable.
Everyone deserves to love and be loved - and I don't just mean romantic love either - whatever their colour, creed, sex or sexuality. As I get older, and living alone, I guess I should add age as well because it is love - past and present, in all its shapes and forms - that gets me up each morning and sees me carry on until it tucks me up in bed at night and sends a genial sandman to see me through to the next round...
Meanwhile...
Not romantically linked to anyone? Never mind, I can only repeat (remind you) that love comes in all shapes and forms. Most of us have family, friends, pets... If you have none of these, all the more reason to stop feeling sorry for yourself and let love touch your heart today and always. Better late than never...
Everyone deserves to love and be loved - and I don't just mean romantic love either - whatever their colour, creed, sex or sexuality. As I get older, and living alone, I guess I should add age as well because it is love - past and present, in all its shapes and forms - that gets me up each morning and sees me carry on until it tucks me up in bed at night and sends a genial sandman to see me through to the next round...
Meanwhile...
Not romantically linked to anyone? Never mind, I can only repeat (remind you) that love comes in all shapes and forms. Most of us have family, friends, pets... If you have none of these, all the more reason to stop feeling sorry for yourself and let love touch your heart today and always. Better late than never...
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
A bitter winter sweeping
our city streets, country lanes
merging
into nightmare;
me,
having no idea where t
o go or what to do for thinking
about you-me-us
o go or what to do for thinking
about you-me-us
Suddenly, I saw you there
smiling
and grey,
like the
winter sun, bursting
to
re-appear, spread
some happiness for those
quick on the uptake,
seeking
to refill our hearts
with love than stand by
with love than stand by
and watch
them break
for the sake of a bruised ego
or haunting the brain
for the sake of a bruised ego
or haunting the brain
I didn’t know
what to say,
lips
frozen and blue...
Besides,
how to tell how sorry
for our bitter quarrel
over your being out to family
and friends in the closet
over your being out to family
and friends in the closet
neither of us willing to enter
into each other's points
of view, no surprise then
of view, no surprise then
that we exchanged a summer
of the heart for its winter
As I watched you cross
towards me, I could
of the heart for its winter
As I watched you cross
towards me, I could
but cave in, let love win,
proud to face the world
at your side, gay lovers taking
its prejudices in our stride
Copyright R N Taber 2005, 2019
at your side, gay lovers taking
its prejudices in our stride
Copyright R N Taber 2005, 2019
[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears in A
Feeling for the Quickness of Time by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2005.]
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