To be visibly queer is fearless and frightening by Rocío Iglesias

I have seen the future and in it my wife and I kiss goodbye in our driveway, and nobody bats an eye—

But today I am sitting in the empty bathtub crying with my whole body 

Wrapping my own arms around myself

Eyes watered and knees weak,

Praying as a last resort  

For the love of god, keep us safe 

Let me shake this feeling that I will lose her every time she walks out the door

Crosses the threshold without me where I can’t protect her 

Where the homophobe at the gas station gives her a dirty look and then has me to answer to

Where I squeeze her hand tighter when they stare at the grocery store

“Can I help you?” I ask so my baby doesn’t have to

What kind of times are these?

The same as they have always been 

Executing us, betraying us, 

This world has tried to make us hate ourselves 

And I have forgiven it because it gave me her

 

 

 

Rocío Iglesias is a queer Cuban-American poet. Her work has appeared in various print and electronic publications and can most recently be found in Firmament Magazine and Brave Voices Magazine. She lives, breathes, and works in Minneapolis, MN.