LGBTQ+ Poem: queer//damage, by Julia Machanik

is there something wrong?
your knowing eyes
lock into mine
shooting daggers
like a pointed finger

queer; queer, queer.

i tense myself
i would tell you the truth
but i’m uncertain
would you still love me
if i said i love you?

my nervousness
stuttering and stumbling
over words
it almost spills out every time
choke back the vomit

it tastes like tar
maybe something is wrong

we shouldn’t be doing this–
i shouldn’t be feeling this
your hand reaches for mine
my trembling frame
you noticed.

what pride is there to be found
in hiding behind my smile
and coughing up wilted flowers

as the moment passes i look to you
and i see a sea of stars
in the spots that dot your face
when you lean in to kiss me

i’m strangely not surprised
it travels through my body
from my lips

burning
in the right ways
for you

nothing is wrong
i am whole,
i am proud,
i am queer,
i am yours