this one goes out to the outcasts
the wedontbelongers
the slip crack dreamers
my brothers who passby the oasis of
in-masculinity
my sisters who bypass the glassy pools of
self reflection
looking, longing, lifted eyes upon the emptiness of our pristine yearbook covers
The elders looked upon us with pride
they witnessed the calm restraint of our peopled pursuits and marveled
The elders looked upon the others in awesome wonder
they witnessed the vigorous reach of their athletic pursuits in sheer adoration
These were our tales of mice and men.
A divided people, we soldiered on
and as one elder fell to the onslaught of Time, the division seemed to shrink
until the day we stood across Death’s battlefield
and with outstretched arms we looked into each other’s eyes
Outcasts
Others
Brothers
Sisters
and led our congregation back to the house
past the glassy pools
into the Oasis of self-acceptance
and signed our names to the unattended yearbooks of
lives
dreams
family
Marta C. Youngblood is a writer, education and social entrepreneur based in Lubbock, Texas. For more information on her current projects visit https://about.me/MCyoungblood.