he colored his fingernails
with his mother's nail polish
and grew his hair long
for appeasement

but when he left
he cut it short
like it was meant
to be

one day
he came to lunch
in distress

once he explained
they were confused
but supportive

and so things began
to change

and that is how
it should be

but it isn't always
this simple

because just like
lipstick
and ***** nails
aren't mutually exclusive

masculinity and femininity
aren't mutually exclusive either

and when a boy
in his own community,
the last one he'd expect,
told him he wasn't real
like he was a figment
of their imaginations

he came back with a rage
the others had never seen

and they were proud

and when others
started coming out around them

they were proud

and as the community grew

they were proud

we were proud

i was proud

then i just *was