Member-only story
I was made in a minor key
A poem
I was made in a minor key
Baptized by my mother’s tears
Not from joy, but from exhaustion
My song was the silence between her sighs
“Not another child”
The world did not stand up to meet me
I had to tap it on the shoulder
I had to demand to be seen
I am still demanding
You were made the same
I know that some place deeper than my bones
I hear your song; it’s in the urgency of your laugh
In the hope you cloak with sarcasm
It’s in the relief when you speak my name
The world did not stand up for you, either
It closed its eyes when you called out
In fact, they are still shut
But my eyes are wide, love
We were made in a minor key
Here’s the thing — there’s only a small difference
Between minor and major
We just have to slide our fingers
To change the chord
And if you can’t yet hear it
I will wrap my hand around yours
