Mother's Opinions
Location
"Don't you feel beautiful today?"
my mother asks.
Her badgering of my clothing,
the constant scorn she speaks
haunts my mind as I approach my descent.
"Femininity suits you well,"
my mother reminds me as I
enter the world
clothed to mask
any trace of masculinity.
I am told by those around me that
I cannot be anything but straight-
because I am
"too pretty"
or "too similar,
to the straight girls that fill the world."
But,
I am not the same as the other girls.
I like the other girls.
I want the other girls.
I crave the love and appreciation
of the other girls.-
I am not the same as the other girls.
"Why are you so unhappy?"
my mother questions.
What she doesn't understand is
her thoughts on my sexuality
plague my mind.
I cannot be comfortable in
my own skin,
my mind,
my own life.
What she doesn't know
is without her
I stand alone:
against the crowds, questions, and opinions.
But still,
she doesn't realize
that others
love me,
support me,
and encourage me,
in ways she
should
but never will.