The Poetry Marathon

Miles to Go, after Robert Frost

2 dead and 21 injured in a terrorist attack against a queer bar in Oslo.

I find out in the middle of this poem and erase it entirely.

2 dead and 21 injured in a terrorist attack against a queer bar in Oslo.

I went to 3 Pride events in the last few weeks and I can’t say

I wasn’t

looking for the closest exits,

scanning the crowd,

guarding the door with my anxiety

cherishing my pounding heart.

And when a cheeky kid threw a stone to my head

during a march I can’t say

I didn’t think it was a hate crime

before I realised it was just a game

I wonder if it’s normal to get a thrill from being alive

with hundreds of other queers gathered in the same place

from being a moving target,

from getting home safely at the end of the day. I can’t say

That it’s not tempting to lie down on the side of the road

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

In a Post Pride Thunderstorm

And the rain comes, emptying the main street of all its characters. Only a few remain.

Running around as the brutal drops keep chasing them.

Your hair is wet, dripping with joy

and both our eyeliners are writing new words

across our faces. We don’t run. Because it’s too late,

we’re already soaked in history. Earlier this afternoon

we smiled at each other over a crowd of rainbow flags,

Watching a baby stumble their way to a stranger waiting with her arms opened.

And for the first time in 4 years, for 2 minutes I get to forget how much

I love you and you don’t.

As the rain washes away this old version of us

we step into the after party to the sound of rolling thunder. People as wet

and reborn as we are today. Bodies made of glitter and rain that keep dancing

despite 

Maybe, somewhere on our timeline there’s a version of  us

that can be friends without the hurt.

And in that storm I finally manage to find strangers’ faces pretty again. In this post everything

I finally say hello to this girl I only talk to online and avoid at protests.

She’s standing under a shivering tent.

Her smile is warm and bright like tomorrow.

So happy to be here with all of you!

I completed the half marathon last year and had so much fun 🙂

Can’t wait to challenge myself in new ways this time!

Sending love from my little house in France!

Jo

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