Rewriting a Poem for Orlando
It has been a year since the Pulse night club massacre in Orlando, Florida. I remember very vividly seeing the news stations reporting all day and night. They updated on the scene, counting survivors and bodies, reporting stories, and trying to explain why this had happened. I don't know anyone who lives in Florida, and the south in general feels very far away from the north east, but during and after June 13, 2016, I felt an odd combination of despair and connectedness. As a part of the LGBTQA+ community, I was afraid and saddened. The victims were killed for their sexuality and romantic orientation. I was afraid for myself, my friends, the community, and humanity in general. But in the wake of terrorism, there was also hope. Even hours after the incident, people were coming together to support victims and the community. People across the country were showing support and continued to talk about LGBTQA+ issues. There were prayer circles and the usual memorials, but there was also the continuation of pride parades. When seeing how diverse people came together in the name of love and peace, I felt even more connected to the community. I felt more connected with human beings. I originally wrote this poem a day after the tragedy. After reediting it, I decided that it would be appropriate to repost the poem again.
June 13, 2016
I always try to see the
Beautiful things in life.
The sky.
The clouds that float around
In a kaleidoscope of shapes.
They smell of sun on skin.
Bare feet on cool sand
And the splashing of colored waves.
Warm hands.
The company of friends.
Long walks through tall grass
And footsteps on summer pavements.
Painted stars on canvas that melt into eyes
And music that dances through ears.
Beautiful things seem to fade
And it gets harder every day.
It gets harder and harder to see all the beauty
This world has to offer.
It is covered
By a dark, starless cloak.
It is thick and moonless.
It is wide enough to cover
The opaled moonflowers that shine and grow
In the dark.
It is hate,
Powered by apathy and
Strengthened by the words
That fly like neon birds
From the mouths of those
Who cower behind this drape.
It is the twisted time traveler
Who haunts and ghosts around
To stop time
And to keep this world
From moving into a bright future.
It is cowardice that tries to usurp love
By killing all that is beautiful.
It wants us all to
Give up
Hope,
Dreams,
Holding hands and standing tall.
It wants us to Stop believing in love.
When we give in,
We can’t open our hearts
To strangers
Nor hold out our hands
To help a friend.
We can’t hold our loved ones
In our arms
Nor kiss the lips of the ones
We love the most.
We can’t even place our hands
Over our hearts and feel
Our lonely pulse
As it beats against silence.
We can’t hear our own footsteps
As they step over
Rain-spotted sidewalks.
But we won’t stop.
We will keep standing
With our hands clasped together like locks
As our hearts and minds
Turn towards the future.
We will keep standing for love
Until it is clear as air
That we are a world
Built from a rainbow of
Different minds and faces.
We are one world
That can only be torn apart by hate
And can only be healed
Through love.
