Macho-In-Crowd Taboo

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

I just love it when people get in touch with feel-good stories. Invariably, they inspire me to write a poem. It doesn’t even matter if readers think it’s a good poem, a bad poem or even a corny poem. If just one person can not only relate to it but finish reading it feeling GOOD about themselves, and perhaps a more kindly disposed towards that weirdly unpredictable phenomenon we call human nature, it has been a poem worth the writing.

This poem was originally written especially for ‘Roy’ and ‘Davis’ who are out to family, friends and work colleagues and ‘everyone accepts us without a hint of the hostility we were expecting.’ True to say, life doesn’t always work out like that, but isn’t it just so wonderful when it does? They asked if I could write a poem for them. How could I refuse?

In seventy-six countries, gay relationships remain illegal; in at least five, it is punishable by death. Their governments and secret ‘religious’ police (as in Iran) should be thoroughly ashamed, especially the latter who are a disgrace to their religion. Every human being is different; those differences don’t make us different, only human, and that applies to sexual as well as social/cultural/religious/identity.

Those clerics - from various religions - who insist that LGBT issues are incompatible with religious principles are a disgrace to that religion. Religion does not have a monopoly on spirituality. Even so, no one should be made to feel they must choose between their sexuality and religion. [How does living a lie conform to any religious principles?]

Here’s wishing all those gay boys and girls, men and women around the world who cannot or will not take a chance on truth – for whatever reason – much love and happiness in their lives anyway.

Yes, yes, I have said all this before on the blogs, but as my dear mother used to say, if something is worth saying it is worth repeating.

A teacher at my secondary school once commented along the lines that we should never assume the worst although it does no harm to be prepared for it. That was over 50 years ago, and I have since learned the hard way that it is a sound principle by which to live.

Some secrets were just never meant to be kept. For example, not all gay men are screaming queens so At the same time, not all gay men so why even mention sexuality unless the subject comes up? A straight person does not introduce himself or herself as 'Hello, I'm ---- , 'm straight' so why should it be any different if you're gay?

Oh, and by the way, people are always asking how much autobiography I weave into my poems. Ah, well, that’s for me to know and you to wonder…

MACHO-IN-CROWD TABOO

I hungered for your body,

and could tell you wanted mine,

the way you’d catch my eye,

throw me an, oh, so wicked smile

when you thought no one else

was looking, trying to catch me out,

put it on the grapevine

that the rumours were true

about me and you

I longed to feel your lips

on mine, hands tearing off my clothes

while mine played copycat

with your quick, fever pitch fingers,

though so far we had only

made love in each other’s heads,

exchanging glances across

this office, that cafe, a bar popular

with hot-blooded hets

Oh, but our in-crowd

wasn’t really us, hadn’t been since

you surprised me with a kiss,

swore it was for a dare, and I might

have believed you

but for the queerest look on your face

that gave the game away,

suggesting some dreams come true

and you, too, are gay

We made love one night

in a cramped single bed at your place

(did we care?) finally resolved

to kill the lie, hold our heads high,

tell the world we’re in love,

reason with family, friends, colleagues,

and anyone else uncomfortable

with the fact that falling in love equally

applies to gay people

 Copyright R. N. Taber 2011; 2016