Taking on the Bogeyman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

As a child, I was taught to despise gay people. As a gay youth, and young man I learned (the hard way) to respect and feel good about myself.

It is only now, in my late 60s, that I can forgive the bigots for the torment they put me though. They were, for the most part, products of their generation.

What I cannot forgive, though, is that leading bigots worldwide are still putting gay men and women through the same torment. Is it not high time the civilized world got real about the deeper meaning of ‘civilized’ instead of scratching the surface?

Certainly, it is a harsh indictment on the 21st century so far that it continues to let these pathetic, spiritually unenlightened people who hide behind various socio-cultural-religious masks (likely to be seen by the even less enlightened as the respectable face of morality) continue to get away with corrupting humanity. Let these Bogeymen that have haunted generations stay under the bed, gather dust (and hopefully choke on it) while we sleep in peace, wake refreshed, ready willing and able to take on his like  whenever and wherever in the cold light of day...

Yes, we can point the finger at economic, political and religious culpability and plenty of it. But even if the sorry state of our world is down to such issues, humanity isn’t. Humanity is down to each and every one of us.

Whatever a person's colour, creed, sex or sexuality, no one is too small in the grand design of things to make a difference for the better (or too big to avoid comeuppance).

TAKING ON THE BOGEYMAN

I may well be your jailer,

keeping you prisoner of your skin,

making sure you dare not

let truth, hope and peace enter in

where even few angels will go

taught to know that God

would have them keep

well clear or become infected

with doubt and fear

You may well see me

as a mirror to all you are not

and all you would be…

but for the Bogey Man still peering

over your shoulder,

poised to leap on you before I’ve

even begun to make a case

in defence of truth hope and peace

deserving justice

Think of me as a friend,

at your side through thick and thin,

making sure you’ll not refuse

to let truth, hope and peace enter in

wherever you choose to go,

unafraid to let the world know

you refuse to be a prisoner

of its second skin, but chose to show

bigotry cannot win

See sexuality take on the Bogey Man

or mistake his reflection for your own

Copyright R. N. Taber 2014