Poetry Pride

Don Rainbow-Higgs Pride 2016 - Photo by Malcolm Rainbow-Higgs

I wrote an article recently about ‘Pride’ which runs for the whole of June, although I try and be an ally every month of the year. Our LGBTQI community are still often targeted with hate, violence and exclusion, which should be to the shame of all of us.

I wrote a poem a while ago, dedicated to a friend of mine, who had a tough time as a teenager and was hounded out of our church group. Religious communities, the established church in particular, has a lot to answer for. I hope most are more tolerant and loving these days, but is by no means guaranteed. The situation with human rights abuses in the USA currently, should ring alarm bells for all of us.

Without further ado, here’s the poem plus an additional one I wrote for the Poems About prompt from

BrokenSpineArts

on Bluesky.

Don Rainbow-Higgs and Malcolm Rainbow-Higgs Photo used with kind permission

A Rainbow in your Name

I always knew you were 
‘different’ then
but didn’t understand
how
or why it mattered 
that you preferred guys
to gals.

I knew you were
just like us
and we were just like you

I didn’t understand 
why they hounded you
out
of a place 
you should have felt loved 

I’m glad you 
found
your one and only
happy you got to
marry him
proud of the man
you’ve become
in all your dazzling
Rainbow sparkle.


Pride 

Peacock proud,
you strut your stuff,
enjoying the parade:
drag queens on floats,
rainbow banners, balloons,
ordinary people
having fun,
celebrating,
reminding us
that the real spectacle
is love.