When you finally say those six scary words Quietly, out Loud To your best friend As you lie on your back In the dark, Your fear is a presence “I think I might be gay” I want to wrap you in my love Give to you The strength of my heart And say, “It’s ok”
When you’re terrified of losing your family, Friends and Life And the sentencing of your Soul To eternal hell Makes you cut your own skin To feel a separate, easier pain, As a way to face your fears I want to pull you behind me Protect your heart As a bear guards her cubs And say, “It’s ok”
When you slosh through the dregs Of your Religion Feeling the power of your Faith, Once unshakeable, Slip from your grasp Because you can’t, no, you won’t, lie About your basic truth I want to take your trembling hands in mine Pass to you The peace of my soul And simply say, “Valiant girl, it’s ok”
When you search for a loophole In the Damnation Laid out in one verse after another But find judgment Instead of Grace And always more questions Even the ministers cannot seem to answer I want to look deep into your clear blue eyes Cry for you The tears of absolution And say, “Brave seeker, it’s ok”
When you turn to other sources of wisdom Searching for Peace Blazing your own beautiful path To unshakeable truth And you find solid ground Among the trees and the poets Amid the philosophers and stars I want to lie next to you on the warm summer ground In the dark Crying in awe at the grandeur of the universe And, soft as a whisper, say, “See? It’s ok”
When you stand your own ground, fast and firm In your Truth And you won’t back down Or accept an inferior brand of love The scarlet sound of “I love you anyway” Because you don’t need Forgiveness for being yourself I want to cheer for you Scream myself hoarse Praising your fierceness, bravery and courage And say, “That’s it! It’s ok.”
When you sit with a counselor digging still to Find your Worth Leaning into the pain In search of freedom From a lifetime of doubt and shame And you finally say those words, out loud, “I’m proud of who I am” I want to sing with a choir of angels “It is well, It is well with my soul” And hear you say, “I’m ok”
When you look in the mirror on a Fitting room Wall And see yourself, Whole And feel compassion and love Replacing all the doubt and the shame And you gently say those words, out loud Affirming my worth, “I see you” I want to wrap myself in your love Finally feel warmth That heals my broken heart And I’ll say, “I’m ok”