Who I am is Not Who You Think

Don’t tell me I am not straight enough

because I won’t wear a dress or watch romantic comedies

that has never been me.

And don’t tell me I am not gay enough

because I fell in love with a man

though I have known the love of a woman

that is none of your business.

I am

who I am.

Walk with me for just one day

see the joy in my heart

as I tend to seedlings and offspring

feel the depth of my tears

as I reach out to comfort the scarred mountains

when brother trees are clear-cut from their faces

I draw a line in the earth proclaiming

“No More!”

I am not this woman you suppose

who will shrink from a confrontation

nor am I that man who browbeats his way

 to position and status.

I am not the old person

who reminisces about the good old days

and how things were better then

when my muscles were tight and strong

and death seemed a million light years away.

These are the best days!

And do not mistake me for a christian

because I embrace the teachings of Jesus

I  hear and see the magic of the Divine as passionately

in wood, rock, wave, and birdsong.

Gone are the pretenses

I have cast off all ill-fitting labels

A new-found freedom!

Today I delight in shaving the gray hairs from my face

Lathering up the brush with spicy suds

exhilarated by the scent and edginess of the blade

and

I immerse myself in the magic of herbs and hearth

creating tonics of well-being

a cup of tea and heart-felt conversation

always at the ready

Queer, you say?

Yes!

And I would not wish to be any other way…