Parents Shield Us

Parents shield us
from the very thing
that may exist
in their sweet child.

If only I had known,
if only they could know,
we exist.

We live.

There is nothing wrong with us.
There is nothing wrong with them.

Why tell them of guns,
of violence,
but not the harmless?

What have I done,
that is so much worse?

Next: Navigating Queerness Through Queerlessness