Let Us Live

Forgo your fears, stifle your doubts,

We cannot thrive ‘til they’re cast out.

What blessing had you upon your birth

That seemed to elude my cradle?

What anguish should befall you

Were I to become your peer?

And would it match the daily dread

Your ignorance costs me dear?

It seems our presence pains you,

But you’re at ease when we pass.

So if in your head I’m a deviant,

What about me can’t you stand?

Is it my skin? Is it my lover?

Is it my body and all that it’s suffered?

Is it the way I just want to be seen?

Is it my life you want taken from me?

We’ve been here all along,

Forever standing wronged.

What you see as deceit

Is our living honestly.

In the face of your abuse,

We stand with nothing left to lose,

We strive to speak our truth:

We live in spite of you.

This fear, you’ll never know.

This life, you’ll never lead.

This love, you’ll never feel.

This death, you’ll never see.

With what trace of resolve is left in my hands,

This once desperate plea… becomes a demand:

Let us live.