From a Homosexual to the Forerunner of CHANGE

We are born on the back of angels with broken wings and hearts that match perfectly

Our spirits have been rocked to sleep by the arms of an oppressive system

That steals pieces of our sexuality every time we blink our eyes

We are walking narcoleptics

We are sleepwalkers

Waiting to be touched

Waiting to be woken up

Waiting for somebody to care

Waiting to care about ourselves

And the people with physical features that closely resemble our own.

We are peninsulas, dressed like islands,

Acting as though our emotions have been surgically removed

We are Black Gay Men

We carry hurricanes underneath our ribs and levees break whenever we speak

But these days we don’t speak anymore because silence is golden

And we’ve been told that fourteen years is worth twice as much as our voice.

We are the albino stepchildren of Nigeria.

We are Black Gay Men.

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Many of us fighting for the rainbow colour on foreign soil, I can only say kudos

Because your little wars give those of us without courage strength in little doses

We’ve been beaten, castrated, hung, profiled, pulled over

We’ve been placed behind bars with chains worn by Barnabas

When they say Boko Haram is a threat to our safety

I think about how the terrorists I know do not wear turbans

They have badges, uniforms, two-tone vehicles

They convene in closed rooms with boy toys ramming their ghetto fab asses in their far-too-much free time.

In my hood, the threat level is at orange every time I’m hassled by men of the force at Berger

Hell! I can’t even keep a stash of gay porn on my devices

Lest the long arm of the Law reaches forward to spank my ‘criminal’ behind

The terrorists blew up Nigerians at Nyanya Park in Abuja a year ago

The terrorists captured women and girl children and matched them into the landmine-forests

The terrorists, those terrorists, are evil

And so are my terrorists, our terrorists

The ones who pounce and prey on us, attacking at our vulnerabilities.

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And because Hope exists, I can’t help but wonder

If the new Leader will turn Nigeria around from its war against its Black Gay People

But because Cynicism exists, I can’t help but realize

That I won’t be holding my breath

Written by Vhar