7 Billion (Zack DuFour-Lafayette, LA)

There are 7 billion people on the planet

7 billion politicians

and lovers

and poets

and criminals

7 billion tragedies

and comedies

7 billion

gay and straight and confused

7 billion writers

of the Great American Novel

7 billion painters

of 7 billion masterpieces

7 billion of her

and 7 billion of him

7 billion drug dealers

and sexual deviants

7 billion mothers

and fathers

7 billion people

who drink Coca Cola

and work 9-5

7 billion

all dressed with suits and ties

7 billion desperately naked

running mad in the streets

7 billion fighting

and 7 billion laughing

mostly at the same time

7 billion stories you'll never hear

7 billion strangers you pass by daily

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Ash Wednesday (Brian Falcon - New Orleans, LA)

It’s forgettable- the number of times I was called a “fucking faggot” as a kid. As a former child of god, I wasn’t expected to know what those words meant. I was taught that repentance was vital to achieving everlasting life. My momma made me go to church every Sunday. I said my prayers as I was told. But I eventually learned that Catholicism was never my sanctuary. Christianity was never my safe-haven. God never stopped the cheap shots. He never once prevented the harassment or pure embarrassment that I felt from the words of my “kin in Christ.” Now, picture me- a helpless faggot, blinded by the incandescent lights of an old catholic church. I was home from college spending Spring Break in my former hellscape. So, naturally, my momma yet again made me go to church. This time, on a Wednesday. It was Ash Wednesday. When I was among the folks from home, I felt out of place. So much that I’d imagine camouflaging myself. Like saber-tooth in hiding. But the difference? I had a far mo...

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