Not so empty after all

He had a feeling he was different from a young age His family thought that it was just a stage When the boys at school found out, they wasted no time They cornered him in the locker room and fractured his rib cage He was all alone, confused, and scared He couldn’t talk about his feelings, he wouldn’t dare “Boys can’t do this or like that, that’s for girls” Why is he restricted for who he is? That doesn’t seem fair He thought he was messed up, just born the wrong way All he did was suffer from the beginning to the end of the day He thought he wasn’t a man unless he appealed to his pupils’ expectations There was no one around to tell him that the world isn’t black and white, it’s gray He never saw any positive figures to look up to in movies, books, or tv Negative stereotypes, verbal attacks, and violence was all he’d see Poorly written plots that revolve solely around their sexuality, not them as a person What was there to keep him from becoming cynical when the media agreed? He began to go for walks to be with his thoughts and away from those who shunned him He learned not to just see but also observe, and suddenly the future wasn’t so grim The world was changing. Slowly, but surely, it was no longer one versus seven billion There were millions standing against the malicious and misquoted hymns With advancement always comes those who do not approve and are there to invoke fear Threatening and harassing, using words like “faggot,” “pussy,” and “queer” But there are now groups for support and hotlines to call, these mavericks are shrinking in size A time of understanding and equality for all is near He’s no longer afraid, he’s no longer alone, he’s finally alright The world he once resented as much as it did him seemed infinitely bright Those boys that hurt him and words that degraded him no longer had any power He went to bed knowing those monsters from his past were afraid of the dark and would vanish in the night