Every queer boy scare nerd
vows the same – you’ve no doubt heard
it time and again in close convention halls
and YouTube fanvids – but I’d never call
you Billie, and I’d keep your glass topped
up. You never play the victim, cop
to desolation, plead for rescue.
You struggle, save your son, eschew
the helplessness of horror. Now the world
is soaked in it. Our escape plans unfurl
to ash-stained wind, our cigarettes
burned out, our voices ragged, yet
we broadcast from our solitary light-
houses. Teach us, Stevie Wayne, to fight.
Erik Shuckers is a poet and nonfiction writer living and working in Pittsburgh. Visit him at https://erikschuckers.wordpress.com