Binary Expectations

Which of you is the man?

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Photo from lesbian-geek.tumblr.com.

– Written for Sometimes Stellar Storyteller Six Word Story Challenge #42. Prompt was “offensive.” WC 6. Photo by David Goehring. “Binary Expectations” won 3rd place in this contest.

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Our Pulse

Check my pulse, it’s still beating.

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Your bullets tear through my rainbow wings.
I cower in fear and pain and you stand over me,
A coward with your guns and hate,
And societal and religious justification
For your version of purification.
Check my pulse, it’s still beating.
Check for breath, I’m still breathing.

Whether my physical body passes from this world is not what matters.
See what you don’t realize is that our oppression
Has made us a strong and resilient organism
That unites, in light of your destruction; we rise and fall together,
In spite of the self-righteous façade masking your self-loathing,
Crushing the emotion that you might feel for the wrong that you have done.
Check my pulse, it’s still beating.
Check for breath, I’m still breathing.

Your bullets tear through our imaginary sanctuary,
Where we thought we were safe.
Though I may pass, we will live on and your actions
Only serve to facilitate discussion, and bring about awareness.
We will grow and strive and live and thrive
And future generations will learn from your mistakes,
And learn from our love, and heartbreaks.
Check our pulse, it’s still beating.

– Written as a response to the Orlando shooting at Pulse. It was written with the intent to be read out loud. Please click on the video to hear my reading. Image from FanPop.

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