Zio Nation*

Cen
tral
Zio
nation

I suit up
I’m suited up

But I feel a boot
pressing
down on
my neck

Do you
feel
that heel
pressing down
on your neck?

What do you think it is?
Yes, yes, It’s a heel
I feel

But why is it
pressing
down so hard?

Is it a new age?
Is it rage?

Is it the massess
in a rage
in a new age?

I see moms and dads
crying

Rock stars
singing

Poets
professing

Geneticists
discovering

Scholars
sharing

No, no it’s not a heel
I feel

I think It’s my heart
tearing apart

* (This poem was written after I saw the documentary, Believer, on HBO. We want our LGBT friends to remain safe, and not feel they need to contemplate suicide.)