LGBTQ+ Poem: Removed, by Morghan Ely

September 23, 2025

They removed the
sound of children
screaming, “Save them!”
as they clutched
their fake pearls
and outrage to
their chests like
bandaging bullet holes
With only their
Thoughts and prayers

They removed the
privacy from the
bathroom shouting, “Predator!”
as they looked
up our skirts
without our leave,
this place is
no longer safe

They removed the
power from our
hands ordering, “Teach!”
as they tossed
the knowledge on
the fires fueled
by the propaganda
they wanted preached

They removed our
names from the
annals and acted
like nothing had
changed but our
existence is not
new only obscured
by lost time

They removed the
ugly truth that
their hands wrought
atrocities in the
name of a
god who would
not know them
as her own

They will silence
the screams of
dying children and
ignore the reality
of their cruelty

They will try
but we will
not be removed.