Day 22 - Life Advice

 We are getting close to the end and I'm frankly surprised that I have made it this far. For this, the 22nd day of Napowrimo, the prompt comes from a site called Read Poetry (which I highly endorse as a message). I'm taking this one from their lists of prompts:

"7. Write a poem of life advice to your younger self."

So here goes nothing:

A Litany of Lessons For Boy, Aged 13

Dear Queer young boy,
I know the word makes your stomach flip and skin 
feel like an ant colony has made its home just 
beneath the surface but trust that I know you better 
than you know yourself right now;

All rage and resentment, never felt like love 
was going to come to find you - hiding, as if 
every shadow dancing along the wall and school 
hallway is a fist coming down like war, like
scripture. Feeling like you were born wrong; 

born broken and breaking under the pressure 
to mask yourself - to find camouflage and cover 
even though you can't help the way your eyes 
pause in gym locker rooms. The way you wish 
to know the taste of your best friend's lips.

So here's some things I know we'd wished we'd known
so much sooner to add to our arsenal:

Write about boys. Don't hold yourself back; let 
the pen bleed out onto every page how much you 
long just for a kiss.

Knuckle up. Spending too long being scared of
consequences stifled your strength. When someone 
brings their fist down like war, resist. Fight back.

Find out who your friends are sooner. Some can't 
handle the person you grow into. Cut the 
weeds out so you can bloom sooner.

Brace yourself for hate. Embracing yourself 
comes with a price - our flag means death 
and you'll need a shield.

Be kind when you can. Community can't 
last without an open door to those who need 
a shelter. They'll pay it forward.

Hold true to you. Don't waver for anyone.
Plant yourself like a tree when you're told to move 
and force them to change direction.

Art is your blood. We can be powerful 
with just pen and paper - we are indomitable 
and loud and a kaleidoscope of pride.

Even when it looks dark - when you feel like 
you're choking, there's light. Tomorrow will still 
dawn and you'll be there to see it, 

Be so fucking resilient that the world will 
set itself alight before you dare to call it quits. 
Tear the day apart with your teeth if you have to.

When love does come calling, don't hesitate.
Jump into it headfirst. You'll get hurt but each little 
love is a lesson and how we learn to love better.

Lastly... you'll be okay. We slip, stumble, fall and 
fail in so many bloody and beautiful ways... but 
we get there. And it's magnificent.