Curb-side Pride Parade
A few colours short of a rainbow
Pride month
Capitalisms attempt to profit from the sociological desire for inclusivity
In June 1999 ‘Gay and Lesbian’ Pride was declared
Give them a month, it’s only a phase
In 2009 it was declared LGBT Pride
For those not in the box of what they consider ‘societal norms’
In 2021 they added more letters and LGBTQ+ Pride month was declared
There are more outside the box than could ever fit in it
A month of celebrations
Alongside the numerous other month-long national celebrations
They supply an abundance of rainbows and spout the word ‘Pride’
We forget that ‘pride’ was used to replace words like ‘liberation’ and ‘freedom’
Thirty days of colourful marketing
They couldn’t even give us thirty-one
A corporation backing the movement
A gamble
An internet post to show their support
A marketing ploy for more sales
People in pressed suits standing for acceptance
Using stories three times removed of a person they once knew
Embracing a group once considered a Minority
Avoiding apologies for a group they once considered criminals
Sponsoring Parades of people finally being themselves
Realising the Parade of people are not afraid to speak anymore
A month of proud people, unashamed of their truth
And those still too scared to find theirs
And then comes July
And the posters come down
A new sale is posted
And the people stop marching
Buy one get one free
And you are left, standing on the curb, watching the rainbows disappear
Reduced to clear
A not-quite-straight woman wondering if you are just as much a fraud as the businesses
Sales on already reduced prices
A straight relationship is basically one foot in the box, right?
Get in while you can
But you wear your rainbow laces year-round anyway
Only while stock lasts
And hope that one day, it all becomes as simple as it should be
About the Creator
Obsidian Words
Fathomless is the mind full of stories.
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