I'm Not Gay

by Mark Henderson

Image credit: Jacob Mejicanos on Unsplash

but I’ve quit saying so because that’s how

the homophobes get you—by making you

knee-jerk confess your own fear, similar

to theirs no matter how much you say you’re

not like the rest of your family and are

a proud ally. I just know what I like

and consider it neither normal nor

abnormal, just what it is. If they want

me otherwise, ask what they really want:

Confirmation? Validation? To feel

less lonely? Stop being so terrified

of yourself already and get on with

whatever’s your thing. An 80s high school

comedy this is not. It never was—

even when it was an 80s high school

comedy. Get some culture, by getting

out of culture; it’s often too local.

Buy the dads some make-up, buy the moms some

strap-ons, and move on to other business.

***

Mark Henderson

Mark Henderson teaches English at Tuskegee University. He earned his Ph. D. at Auburn University with concentrations in American literature and psychoanalytic theory. He has poems published or forthcoming in The Soliloquist, Fresh Words Magazine, Humphrey Magazine, and WayWords Journal. He was born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana, and currently resides in Auburn, Alabama.