Prism Not Prison

When I was born into this world of Pink and Blue,

Barbies and dresses were fine,

The life of a straight girl was all I knew,

Blissfully unaware I was in a prison by design.

My parents didn't raise me to be hateful,

But they only knew the Christian way,

They thought they were being useful,

In suggesting one isnt just born gay.

The worst one was my dad,

Not supportive in any way,

He just was more angry than sad,

That I couldn't just pray this away.

Disappointment was more important than love,

So when I started feeling different, I lied,

Didn't want to lose the approval of,

Everyone that was then on my side.

I started to see other girls in a different light,

Admiration for their style became a wink,

And as soon as I shed these labels of wrong and right,

That's when I realized - I wasn't just Pink.

Confusion led to more questions inside,

What if I'm not gay or bi, what if I'm trans?

How many more things would I discover and hide?

What restroom do I belong in - Womens or Mens?

The more I asked, things became clear,

There were two sides to me,

I realized it didn't matter if it was Pink or Blue I pulled near,

In the end - fuscia, teal, plum...they were all me.

When I was honest with myself, I could breathe,

Free of the prison in which I'd been forced to reside,

I knew acceptance was what I'd need,

So I'd not have to leave some people behind.

Telling my mom wasn't as hard as I'd feared,

She was divorced, open minded and accepted me,

I thought because of how Pink her world was, she would steer clear,

But I was relieved when she truly began to see.

When I told my dad, that was the height of stress,

He only sees me one way,

He'll only accept me in a dress,

Even though he forced out the words "I don't care that you're gay."

His acceptance is pretending he doesn't see it,

Changing the subject to something else,

In his eyes, as long as he's not affected by it,

Then I don't have to be ashamed of myself.

I'm still discovering my colors,

I see that is where things begin,

And I'm doing my best to help others,

Who have just found their prism within.