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.