Rainbow or 50 shades of grey
is how our tinted glasses should glance their way
Put you in my shoes, close your eyes,
See things I've seen through mine,
Children of God using out of context lines
off his book to make others feel confined.
Preach of his words that we are loved,
you and I, except for the part where
people draw the imaginary line.
"Reborn" believers hating on gays at an all time high
Preachers on a pulpit putting themselves on a pedestal -
Pointing out who's worthy and who's deserving of scorching.
Isn't it the same book you're reading off that says
"Pray for your enemy"?
This holy book is not a comic book
or an anime manga where we decide what's canon.
So Lord, strike me dead -
if he deems my poetry as inhumane
and a case of blasphemy,
But years of passivity only breeds
future hostility or felling for
the future of society.
Not speaking your mind and acting
like everything's fine only adds to the fallacy.
How can we celebrate independence day when
people are oppressed and can't express freely?
Not discrediting what the movement
has done for you and me;
But this isn't back in the days
and we're far from getting back in our ways.
Days are colder, people get enough weight
on their shoulders.
Rainbow or 50 shades of grey
as a society we must learn to
adapt for the better like Cassius Clay
Take a moment to ponder about
the roads we take.
When more people come out of
their closet and time for discussion
on those topics arise
Only to denounce and treat them
like grade C citizens
You'd be surprised what some people of this group
had done for mankind.
We live at a time where world mental health
is at an all time decline;
The victim doesn't become the victimizer,
the abused doesn't become the abuser,
He just carries out the complex:
Complex of not belonging, feeling
alien and offset.
Humanitarianism treads more than the
line of girl and guy -
So if I was gay and born with a soft voice
Would you discriminate me
and guise it saying you're carrying out God's voice?
If I was born with different preferences
Would I be subject to your prejudices?
Be another victim of society
who could've led a normal life,
If only my differences were brushed side
and I was treated right.
I don't wanna vine off too many branches,
not asking for gay parades
Nor rainbow-themed stores, of course:
that's just a fraud for million dollar
Companies to sell more.
So human rights, Truman's life
I'm a sucker for love
and would be a pain in the arse
If you're prevented from such.
And while my heart still pumps a pulse
Isn't it my birthright to decide
Who's the love of my life?
Steven Ramthanmawia, 6th semester, who also enjoys rapping, has chosen to focus on gay rights in this rap-inflected poem which won the first prize in the Poetry/Prose Writing Competition 2022. He took home Rs. 2000/- and a certificate. Congratulations, Steven!
