my fiancee,
her incomparably beautiful, infallible heart
has placed unto me
a timely loan of confidence.
only in her light
was i able to lift my calf
stretch my thigh, and slide a foot forward
and plant it firmly.
fear is present, as always.
family is close, but the embrace of God
and His image, and their idea of mine
worries me.
i choose to stand regardless
for i have kneeled for far too long.
exploring Chicago, with my love,
i went into a restroom of my born sex,
my flesh wearing an incongruity.
the confrontation within was striking, but
I had confronted myself, and
a compliment from a stranger, to us, in a limestone bastion
of a parking garage
gave me all i needed.
to know that opening myself to her, now chemically assisted,
and standing by her
is the greatest choice i’ve ever made.
Now, i sit, reclining, in a faux leather chair, with socks on the armrests, my heart pounds a new rhythm.
Marginally faster, perhaps. One of truth, and feeling, and self-love, certainly.