Butterflying

tatiana de la tierra

 

queerness is an art form

one moment we are who we seem to be
a sushi chef
a costume designer
a racecar driver
and then we re-invent ourselves
we become
flame throwers
go go dancers
organic gardeners

the transformations are more beautiful every time

we are silver-winged butterflies

butterflies are fashion bugs
trampoline beings
trans-porters
trans-genic
trans-gressive
trans-everything

butterflies are us

queerness is an art form

one moment we are who we seem to be
a dreamer
a drummer
a mathematician
and then we do the butterfly

we become another invention of ourselves

we become the woman on the moon
the man who spins around the room
the flying flower children
punk philosophers
computer hackers
cyber sluts
queer ones
hard ones
perfumed ones

we become all this
and more
we become all we want
queens
saints
sinners
swimmers
becoming ourselves
transforming
transfiguring
transcending
transgendering
trans-everything
butterflying

 27 de julio de 2003, buffalo, nueva york

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Originally published:

de la tierra, tatiana. “Butterflying.” Bend, Don’t Shatter:  Poets on the Beginning of Desire.  Ed. T. Cole Rachel and Rita D. Costello.  Brooklyn:  Soft Skull Press, 2004.  26-27.