Stay with me,
I plead to you
As I grip your hand
Mine is slick with sweat.

My heart beats quickly
As my fears rush into my mind
"Will you leave me? Please don't go."
You just smile and say 'no.'

I know you won't leave me.
My heart wants to come out of my chest
But it's okay.
Because I know you're scared too.

You think that you're not good enough
Or that you're a bad girlfriend
I'm here to tell you that that's
Wrong, wrong, and super wrong!

You're an amazing girlfriend, dummy!
Despite your likes and kinks
I don't care about any of that.
If it makes you happy, then it's okay.

Our eyes meet
And lips part
As I whisper to you:
"I'm not leaving either."

I don't care what they might think
I don't care about their words
I know, deep inside, that these feelings are true.
And my beating heart seems to agree.

I wanna say something
For every bigot out there
That believes transgender people are just
'Pretending' or 'seeking attention' or whatever.

They're not.
They're simply trying to lead their lives
And become the people they wanna be.
Nothing more complicated than that.

If you wanna deprive them of that, go ahead and try
But I assure you that these people are stronger than you are
Sure, they might not give you the attention you crave so much
But at least they're not attacking others over being themselves.

Despite their protests
And transphobic comments
We went on the date we had planned
Not caring about their demands

Sure, I was nervous as hell
And I could tell she was as well
And maybe we didn't talk much
But none of that mattered when I met her touch

Our hands interlocked in a silent agreement
That no matter what they said, we would ignore their treatment
There were so many things I wanted to do or say
But all that will come on another day.

When I first sat at that table
A sort of aura filled the air, it was unstable
Even though I knew they wouldn't change their ways
My eyes still met your beautiful gaze.

Every day is the same.
Wake up late. Procrastinate.
Rush to get ready, board a bus.
Go to school. And wait.

I’ve never understood
Why people are so heartless.
People swearing and shouting and arguing at each other.
I just walk down the halls, trying to block out all the sound.

People ask me questions a lot.
“Why don’t you talk? Can you even speak?”
Yes I can, but it’s not like I don’t want to talk.
I can’t, because there’s no point in it.

You don’t know what it’s like to hate your own voice.
To feel like you won’t be understood
‘Cause your voice is too soft and deep and quiet
And you have a stupid lisp that impedes with everything.

You don’t know what it’s like to have people talk about you.
“He only talks to one person,” they say.
It makes me feel like ****.
But nobody cares how I feel.

Every day is the same.
I try my best to hide my feelings.
But sometimes things slip out
When I don’t want them to.

I cried once in class.
Put my head down on the desk.
After I was called a name by someone.
After no one would let me sit down on the bus.

I’m exhausted all the time.
I don’t want to do anything.
I just want to sleep all day.
It’s not like I’ll do anything else with my time.

I want to connect with people.
Even if I don’t understand them.
But it’s so difficult
When you face roadblocks every day.

Every day is the same.
My mind races with thoughts
“You’re going to ***** up. You’re an idiot. A loser.”
“A worthless waste of space in this world.”

“Don’t answer that question, he won’t hear you.”
They tell me to speak up, but I can’t.
It’s like something’s constricting me.
It’s the anxiety, and all those stupid thoughts.

I’m not happy anymore. I forgot the last time I was.
Can’t do anything anymore. The spark I had is gone.
It faded away with all my passions and desires.
I don’t see the point in doing anything.

Sometimes I think about the end.
I know nobody would care if I’m gone.
But then again, I can’t do that to her.
Not when all I want is to spend time with my girl.

I wish she was here. I wish we could talk.
One day isn’t enough for everything I want to say.
It’s irritating, frustrating, this distance is killing me.
But I know it’s not her fault, and I’m not mad.

If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know where I’d be.
If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t be the person she is now.
It’s amazing, how she’s able to survive with those parents of hers.
While I’m just a speck in a vast void of nothingness.

I hate them. I hate them so much.
They call her names, they insult who she is.
She’s just trying to be who she wants to be.
Why would you try and strip that from her?

She’s precious to me, can’t you see?
I tried so hard to get you to understand.
But you ignored it all, you never believed me.
So I’m done trying. There’s no point.

She’s the only one that makes me happy.
When I’m around her, everything just fades away.
My fears, my sorrow, my stupid thoughts.
I wish I could be by her side forever.

I miss her so much.
It’s like my heart is breaking when we’re apart.
I know, somehow, we’ll get through this.
And it will all be worth it.

Someday, I’ll be by your side.
Someday, your lips will touch mine.
I know one day, we’ll finally be together.
And we’ll never be apart from that point on.

Pretty sure I’m trapped in a trance.
I just wanna take this dance.
I don’t care if it’s up to chance.
There might be more to us than just one glance.

I know it’s real late.
And at first you were just a date.
But, it’s funny, I’m starting to like hanging out.
I’d like more of this, I know that without a doubt.

Maybe we could be more than friends.
Though I dunno if our time together could extend.
Past simply talking about nothing all day.
I just wish I knew what to say.

When I look at you now, my heart skips a beat.
Something’s rising within me, some kind of heat.
Part of me wants to regain that trance
Would you care for one more dance?

Air fills my lungs
Whenever I take a breath.
Air exits my lungs
When I breathe out
Though, breathing can get finicky at times.
Since it quickens when I’m under stress
Or when I’m panicking
Though, when my eyes lock onto yours
It’s not my breathing that quickens
But my heartbeat.

Hey, dummy.  
I have this feeling in my tummy.  
It feels weird, like a constant pang.  
A rhythmic sound in my head, sounding like a bang.  
A constant echoing.  
That just keeps bellowing.

I’ve always liked you, you know.  
Or maybe you don’t, considering you never show  
When I want to go to all these places  
I swear there’s a crack between the spaces  
In my mind  
Every request I shot your way, you declined.  
It hurts, it hurts so bad  
How did I end up feeling this sad?  
Day after day, week after week  
I can’t help but feel more bleak

I want to confess, I really do.  
But I don’t know if you’ll feel the same way too.  
Every day, when we hang out  
You just want to do your own thing; it feels me with doubt  


Whatever, you dummy!  
Who cares if I’m feeling more and more crummy?  
It doesn’t matter, right? My feelings don’t mean anything.  
But then again, I can’t help but feel you’re my everything.  
I want to tell you how I feel.  
But…are my feelings even real?  
I can’t think! I can’t decide!  
Why am I still crying inside?

I can’t let you see.  
What’s really inside me.  
All this pain, it belongs in here  
Along with all of these moments I hold dear.  
I cherish my time with you.  
Sometimes, I’m wondering if my feelings are true.  
I’m tired of feeling this way  
But I just can’t let you walk away.  
If I tell you the truth, what will become of us?  
Will you just leave me to turn to dust?  

Ugh! I can’t make up my mind!  
Am I dense or am I just blind?  
The truth is here, right in front of me!  
Then why can’t I just let my feelings be?  
What am I afraid of?  
Am I afraid of rejection or love?  
I don’t know, the clouds in my head are swirling.  
This pain in my heart…it just keeps burning.  
I have to do something to make this stop.  
I might as well just let the truth drop.

An image.
I look at it from time to time.
It was birthed from nothingness.
I remember those old photos. The ones that developed after some time.
You shook them and they—
It’s beautiful, isn’t it?
A perfect representation of triumph and ambition and strength.
All rolled into one still frame.
It’s unmoving, yet it conveys so much.
It’s powerful, even now, invoking emotions within me I haven’t felt before.
Pride. Determination.
Love.
And then, I realize I’m crying.
Because…I see those things when I look at you.
Are you that portrait? That display of strength?
It doesn’t matter. I…still remember when you wrapped your arms around me.
You become something else in that moment.
A display of…passion. Guardianship. Amorous.
That moment. I can’t shake it.
It’s encapsulated in my mind.