(to the ones I hold dear)
The crowd buzzed with lightning-eclipsing excitement
The year that I first wore my flag on my sleeve
June’s heat melts the youthful doubts that kept me silent
Turning my cheeks wet with paint and relief
Feeling the hymns before seeing the sunlight
Flowers and trees wave their leaves in support
Feeling you’re welcome to join without invite
There’s no condition to cheer and cavort
Revel in movement that overtakes stillness
Dancing united and swaying in sync
Strangers embracing the freedom to feel this
Scarcely perceiving the skies flushing pink
At fourteen I knew love, but let my fear dull her
The grown-up me knows that we all walk as one
We light up the bleak city streets technicolor
With rainbow umbrellas that ward off the sun
Each standing our ground and each holding a corner
Of flags that hold weight and feel greater than us
That fly to protest and defy unjust order
In spite of the heat and in spite of the dust
As we walk on, let the colors remind us
That there is no change without making some noise
That on our own we may all walk in silence
But there’s a together that shouts with one voice
That each of our loves is unique in its beauty
That thousands of hearts can still sing to one beat
That having this party is also a duty
It’s being a part of the future we need.
Daze D. (Stefanie Haszler) ist eine junge Literaturwissenschaftlerin und Hobbypoetin aus Wien. Ihre Gedichte wurden bereits in der AVA Studierendenzeitschrift für Komparatistik und in der UniVerse Anthologie „Spark“ veröffentlicht.
