Brittle bones,
knackered backs
look where have we been,
steaming
bickering
all within,
faltering legs slipping through the streets,

this man;
would you still greet?

Ashen lungs, falling through
bruised hands;
brimming of stench
been home late,
lately—

this man;
would you still put arms around?

old shirt pieces,
spectacles of destiny
uttering broken-frames;
for a new sweater
weaved into his soul-born.

this man,
would you call a miser still?

Look at those fingers,
go across the keyboard—
Look at the tubelight
light those eyes up
all night.

this man
would you still smile for?

For once,
let me know—
this man,
and his tears;
would you bear upon your lap?

I walk around these places
Trans-centric spaces
Yet I don't feel like I belong
I know that
I look like them
And based on my reading
I feel like them too
Though I still have this sense
That I somehow do not count
I am not quite enough
I feel without a place
Maybe because last time
I was at a trans art show
And my art lives in words
Not in images on canvas
Just another piece of me
That doesn't quite feel
Real enough or
Good enough
To be taken seriously
And I know
I know
This all boils down to
The way I treat myself
But I'm trying
I'm trying
Some things just take time

Are you afraid of the dark?
In the dark, things are unseen
I have no color or ethnicity
No gender or ****** orientation
Are you afraid of the dark?
In the dark we are all equal
We have no height or weight
No hair or eye color
Beauty is up for interpretation
Are you afraid of the dark?
In the dark you're just a person
You have no talents or disabilities
Wages and wealth don't matter
Are you afraid of the dark?
Nobody can be insulted in the dark
Education and relationship status
All these things are so irrelevant
Everybody is my equal, and none of us can see anything around us
Are you afraid of the dark?

Some leaders thrive on their power,
Great leaders strive to empower.
Some feel power is absolute,
The great ones though... know the real truth.