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
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.