~*~ Inspired by this snippet from Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ ~*~
“Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,’ said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping,
and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at
my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you’ -
here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.”
Long ago, in a not so far away land…there was talk of building.
Bridges, they said…let’s build bridges so that we may better understand who resides across the land.
Let not the waters be unfamiliar, let not the waters be so different…so peculiar.
Let not the Borders harness our Humanity, let’s cross them with agility.
A task that would deem necessary more than one Architectural bid.
A task that would deem necessary that our minds be open and even more…fluid.
Slowly the building began
There were gatherings of folks willing to lend a hand.
There were Butch folks, there were Trans folks…and yes, there were Femmes.
Soon there were tables and chairs filled with eagerness and goals
The various plates runeth over, still room for more…in the unmatched bowls.
A journey not yet taken, no one knew what the success would look like
So when one Bridge was complete, someone asked “…but what will happen to the Dyke?”
The Dyke will remain, someone said.
This is an addition…not a changing condition
Then one day…
Something tragic occured, a senseless beating for being Trans…how absurd.
A gathering commenced, support came across the Bridge
There was a commonality, to make equal rights a reality.
In the end, the word was spread.
No more senseless blood should be shed!
And they experienced what success was really about
..with assemblence from the Allies without a doubt.
Without the Bridge, who knows how it would have turned out.
Thanks and appreciation would ruled the atmosphere
Different folks dedicated to change, by lending a hand and an ear.
The strength of the Allies would bring any Foe to tears
But then…
On the Bridge there stood confusion
Trans folks were crossing over – enter Inclusion
Some Butches felt a sudden sense of intrusion
(are the borders still there, or is this an illusion)
The borders were still there, riddled with illusion
Why is this different from the year before?
You crossed the Bridge to help close a violent door
Embracing our differences ~ is this just folklore?
And today…
We’re crossing as Allies, nothing less and nothing more
Perhaps we have been stagnant for so long
Divided by Borders has left wide open sores
Are we blinded by fear that who we are is contagious
Doesn’t anyone like to share space anymore?
…I hear it’s quite courageous
Shall we just put our boxes back in place
Wrap ourselves with neat little bows of leather and lace
Do we not recognize the Bridge we just built?
Do we think if we all stand to one side…it will forever tilt?
What are we to do when our goals been realized
When the old ways and borders are suddenly capsized
Where the Genders remain the same, nothing is recatergorized
Is it possible we have arrived and just need to refamiliarize?
I implore you to hesitate no longer
Leave the napping for a time more somber
Hear the rapping, the tapping at your door
If you open it wide enough, you can see so much more
“……like water under a troubled Bridge ~ let’s remain fluid in our Journeys” ~ DW ~
