Circumstances (Kelly Hill-Lake Charles, LA)

You ever felt like no one was listening to you. Just a puppet dancing. Held by a string, you keep performing. Just another product of circumstances.

My circumstances are that I'm pregnant and white. Not really just white, but in Louisiana, black and white is all you hear. My baby's father is black, and so my family is ashamed. They want me to have an abortion or go away, have the baby and give it up for adoption.

I want my baby. I love my boyfriend. It will crush him if my parents take our child. It will crush me. I hate these circumstances.

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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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