I stand with a sea of rainbows in front of my eyes

and signs saying that love is too beautiful to be kept in closets
and drag queens with the confidence that I dream of.
but
a few feet away from me there’s a lady
holding
a picket fence sign,
a bible quote,
misunderstanding its meaning
so now
she thinks it gives her the right to
hate.

and me,
a pile of smiles
a mess a glitter
hair frizzing
forehead sweating
and heart beating
from all the people
made of every single color
pulled from 10 million different strands.

each day is a step
a couple steps back but double the steps forward.
there she stands
eyebrows raised
looking at me utterly disgusted as if I am the newest edition of the plague
I have ink pressed into me radiating the afternoon humidity.
my face is a rainbow piece of art.
i smile at her
but she steps backwards
away from me
moving farther and farther from the right side of history
and to myself I whisper quietly
it’s just another moment
that will soon be a poem
and each day is a step
a couple steps back
but double the steps forward