Lights, Grace, Beauty, Tenacity

Lights of red, green, purple, and blue

Explosions in the sky

They scream their beauty in the night

Then they burst, fade and die.

-

Beads and flags that littered the streets

Confetti intertwined

Are quickly swept away and trashed

A phantom left behind.

-

The celebrations are over

And gone is the vibrance,

The streets have emptied once again

Now there is just silence.

-

But I am here, we still remain

Though we no longer shout

Instead, we whisper quietly,

"We will not be shut out."

-

We aren't a commodity

For you to throw away,

We are living, breathing people

We're still here, every day.

-

We are not bright like your fireworks,

Here then gone in a flash,

Only seen for a brief moment

Then tossed away like trash.

-

No, we all shine like distant stars,

Whether gay, bi, trans, queer,

You are beautiful, night and day,

Seen or not, you're still here.

-

After the parade, we still fight

Through blood, tears, disaster,

For love, respect, identity,

We don't have an "after."