You Say
You say you aren’t racist.
You say you have black friends,
as if that was enough.
You say you aren’t racist
but
in the same breath,
you say
that your son shouldn’t have a crush on a black girl,
that even a Mexican girl would be better,
that ideally your daughter-in-law would be white.
You say you aren’t racist
but
in the same breath,
you say
that white babies are cute,
that Asian/white babies are adorable,
that black babies are not.
You say you aren’t homophobic.
You say you have nothing against them,
as if that was enough.
You say you aren’t homophobic,
but,
in the same breath,
you assume
that your son will love girls,
that your daughter will love boys.
You say you aren’t transphobic.
You say you just don’t get it,
as if that was enough.
You say you aren’t transphobic,
but,
in the same breath,
you assume
that your son will be a boy,
that your daughter will be a girl.
You say a lot of things.
You say you love your children.
I believe you.
I do.
You can love
a gay son
a lesbian daughter
a son who is a woman
a daughter who is a man
but
you’ll say that you love them
despite
whom they love
despite
who they are.
You say you would still love your children.
I believe you.
I do.
But,
when you love them
despite
X
Y
Z
you are loving them
and blaming them.
You are loving them
but not understanding them.
When you say you love
despite
X
Y
Z
do you see,
your racism
your homophobia
your transphobia?
Do you see,
your hatred?
I’m so grateful to you,
for everything that you’ve done for me,
for everything that you’ve been for me.
I love you,
to the moon and back
despite
your racism
your homophobia
your transphobia.
I love you,
to the moon and back,
but,
the hatred that you have yet to see,
will ruin the wholesomeness of loving.