LGBTQ+ Poem: This is Me, by Elena Hammer

Every time I look in the Mirror
I recognize myself less and
less
Who is this person?
Is this a dream?
Is this a Nightmare?
No, this is very much reality
A dysphoric reality
A transgender’s reality
Why was I born a man?
And not a
woman?
Did the doctor make a mistake?
Forever Unanswered
“Life is like a highway,” they say
For me, it was just a
Lane
Not going anywhere
Feeling dead; asleep
dark
I only awoke when I was born again
In shining light, I saw who I was
Illuminated by the sun and moon
A woman
Trapped in a body I don’t recognize
Shoulders too broad
A reminder of where I came from
People like me get killed for this
For
existing
Unsafe to go to the bathroom
To the park
Without the fear of getting hurt
This isn’t what scares me
Not being my true self does
My true, real
self
I can’t walk away from this
I can’t give up
I can’t let the monster in the mirror win
This is me
My life
My identity
My destiny
I am… Elena Vieira Hammer

Author: poetryfest

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