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.