Of Discriminatory Love

There is a lined paper that he finds on the other’s desk.

It is mottled,

with fading blue lines

and coffee stains;

the etched words reside in ambiguous scribbles

and he can only surmise that it had been written

on another late night.

But that’s perfectly alright,

because the note conveys endearment,

serving as another poignant reminder

of the genuine feelings he and his beloved share.

The mere sight of the male

erases every trace of bitter thought

directed to the world,

and his departure just as easily resuscitates it all back.

His dear one’s blithe nature tames his anxiety, so that he doesn’t fret over every little action.

In public their loitering is platonic,

but once they’re secluded

behind locked doors

and closed curtains,

they lie in each other’s arms

like it’s their last.

Their hearts will beat together in perfect symphony,

a melodious sound that only they share.

He is his gratification,

and he is his.




They know the immortality of their love.

Just as the mason will slap brick atop brick,

just as the seasons will roll by;

just as the moon will rotate around the Earth and the Earth around the sun,

their love will never vanquish.

But they know

that society will try to tell them

that the love they share is but a pivotal fault;


it must be cured.


They know they must hide it

to avoid the malign remarks of society.

They fear to watch each other become subjected

to the torment of ignorance.

Civility will never be on their side once their secret is revealed.

And so they have ditched,

every teaching society has bequeathed to them.

The principles of the unwilling

will not sink into their skulls.

Society’s criteria for the ideal man

are rarely—

if ever

—spotted in their own dictionary.



When they watch the wooden beams rise from the construction sites in the distance,

they want to rise high with them.

They want to touch the sky

because the land they reside on doesn’t feel the least bit like home;

but they can do nothing

but hold every robust emotion and belief

pressed to their chests.

Their requited love marks not only an epoch in both men’s life,

but potential devastation and subsequent discrimination

as well.