SNIPPETS; poetry

dontdrink.

[ a tribute to trans people. ]

dontdrinkdontdrink

except his lips are
cracking from humidity,
and his fingers are
gripping the cup of water
a bit too tight, a bit too hard.

dontdrinkdontdrink

except he can't stop,
the water tastes so good
in his dry mouth, and
he would put it down
but he's already asking
the waiter for refills.

dontdrinkdontdrink

except it's too late,
and his gaze keeps
flickering to the bathrooms,
his palms are growing
sweaty and he swears he's
never heard his heart so loud.

dontdrinkdontdrink

except he's standing by
the Men's bathroom and
he can almost feel the water
at the back of his throat,
and bile; oh god, he's never
drinking in public again,
he can't, he can't, he can't.

dontdrinkdontdrink

except he's looking too
closely at the male stick
figure on the bathroom door,
and he wants to go in and
he needs to because he's
had too much water, but
he can't, he repeats to himself,
he can't, he can't, because boys
have urinals and they'll see
that-- that--

dontdrinkdontdrink

except he's bursting in
through the bathroom
door because you know,
he would go to the girls'
bathroom but he's a man,
he's a man, a man, a man,
and suddenly two heads
snap up from the urinals,
so he stops short and turns
right around because goddamn,
they're both male and he's,
he's female down there.

dontdrinkdontdrink

except genitals don't
always define gender,
and he wants to say it
to the two boys at the
urinals but it's too late,
because he's back in his
seat at the table and
"accidentally" knocking his
glass of water over on the
floor- good riddance,
he thinks, but he needs it,
so five minutes later,
he orders another glass of water.

__________________________

#GenderNeutralBathrooms2k16
you guys, this is really fucking important because while it may be easy for you and me to go to the bathroom when we need to, not everyone can.