Tell your children about men who love men
And women who love women, in all manner of ways.
Tell them stories about the princess who meets her prince, yes,
But tell them also about the princess
Who made the flower girl her lady-in-waiting,
And loved her dearly ‘til the day she died.
Tell them of the soldiers
Who came back from the war loving soldiers,
And the people, from all walks of life,
Who choose lovers sex-similar,
Not different.
Tell them so that your words break the silence,
For the silence kills more of us than the violence.
The silence kills more of us than the violence.
Tell them about possibilities.
About boys who like flowers,
And girls who like guns,
Men who wear dresses,
And women who don’t.
Remind them that nature is plural,
That life is multi-,
That all girly-boys aren’t gay,
And all girly-girls aren’t straight,
Tell them some of them are and some of the aint.
Tell them these things,
Because at some point, in some place,
They will be different,
They too will deviate from the norm.
And when that time comes,
They will know it’s OK
To be who they are,
And they wont be tempted
To betray the something inside that is true.
Tell them because one day their friend, their teacher, or their child
Will be lesbian. Yes, one day she will.
Tell them so that when that day comes
They know how to love,
And not how to hate,
Know how to love, and not how to hate.
Finally, tell them
Because they might be too,
And their ears will burn with relief and delight,
To know they are safe and known to you,
Not alien,
Not alone,
Not cast out and rejected,
But safe and known and loved by you.
Tim Foskett © October 02
