Pride Month: An Open Letter From the Proud Ones

You, and I
We’re all the same.

The children of the same cosmos
Breathing under the same blue dome.
Right from the time we learn
To see the world and it’s people.

Through our eyes,
We’re taught to live and laugh,
But most importantly, to love,
And to find our other half.

And yet, while some of you are free to love
Whoever you want,
wherever you want,
The rest of us have no other choice
And are made prey, to all your taunts.

We’re made to believe what you whisper about us
We’re made to believe all that you say
And to all of it: the distrust, the humiliation, the heartbreak
We’re made an easy prey.

“You are a sinner, you’re disgusting”
“You’re too young to understand things.”
Well here, you’re the one who doesn’t seem to understand
Who we fall in love with,
we do not plan.

Why does it matter to you, who we want to wed
Or behind closed doors, who we take to bed?
And no, this has nothing to do with your faith and religion
Segregation and
Discrimination is purely your decision.

All we ask of you is to accept us
For we do not have a choice.
And if/when like angry waves we rise,
You might as well be deafened by our voice.

Shambhavi Jha is a fresher at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi.

Featured image credit : Nicola POWYS/Unsplash