She has skin stained with persistence,

A roughness that can’t be washed away,

He is soft in all the right places,

Even when those places feel wrong.

Her identity brittle with resistance

Weathered raw by confused looks and broken bones

But just like bones,

She grows stronger with every break,

Just like bones his softness grows more beautiful

with every sidewalk holler

like gladiolas in the august heat

Each new flower brighter than the last

They wear overalls

And patched jean jackets

Suspenders and bowties

And glittery striped tights

They are so beautiful.

She makes up words for the feelings

she isn’t supposed to have

He collects pebbles for every time

He feels like throwing something

They hide love under pillows at night

Whisper heart songs into rivers

Hoping the water might hear them

Might hold their secrets safe for while

She finds places to be alone

Makes homes of corners and closets

Nestles in the safety of late nights and empty bottles

He empties all the wrong pieces of himself

Into arms that are not big enough hold him

Screams rough-edged stories onto deaf ears

Throws pebbles into rivers

Hoping that love might wash away hate

They are so brave.

Her body aches with longing

She adds pieces to herself like wooden blocks

Trying not to topple with the weight

His bones are tired

His lungs long for the deep breath of dusk

Muscles patiently waiting to be released

In the dark lonely caverns of his bed sheets

They create words for themselves

Occupy spaces that bleed intention

Touch with nothing but compassion under skin

Their bodies are akin to dreams

Being re-invented with every re-telling

They are so bold.

They discover the inbetween spaces of this world

Straddle binaries like a teeter totter

Evenly weighted with doubts and ambitions

They find homes in the middle ground,

Feel safe in the outside,

Breathe deeply in the other,

The unnamed, unclaimed

They call each other love

They call each other graceful,

Even on the days when the pebbles stack high

And the blocks topple over with the weight

They call each other beautiful.

And they are.