Queer Visibility

Extinguished

A poem

A drop, withheld — anticipation dies down with the good in me. Standing in line, nevertheless — looking away from the storm. Tension builds up in the shadows that remain. Here I am, on the shore. A nightmare, averted. I don’t know if I can carry the pain this new dawn brings — my hope, extinguished. Take it or leave it; the wind will always be stronger.

Context: A few days ago, a mob of about 100–150 (mostly young) people verbally attacked, chased down and tried to physically assault a couple of non-binary people who were together on a walk in the city of Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece. Sadly, while attacks on queer people is nothing new here, an attack of this magnitude was shocking.

I wrote this poem about three weeks ago, after an unpleasant experience on a night out with some friends. Unfortunately, it has become some form of entertainment for groups of far-right idiots to gather outside queer clubs and yell slurs and threats.

So, sometimes I really feel like there’s no hope. However, I also know that it’s up to all of us to not let hate win.