Rise Up, Rise Up (October 7, 2019)

Do you know

Why I'm crying?

Tears slide down

Streaking my face

In frustration.

Where walking is

Act of defiance

Against prejudice.

Which you claim

My very presence

Is causing.

As your entitlement

Base on hate

And ignorance

Is stripped away.

One layer

At a time.

Laying bare

The emptiness

Of your actions/words

Towards others.

Who challenge

Your dogmatic faith

With love and compassion.

Knowing

Freedom time 

Has come.

Therisa © 2019  

Author’s note: The following Toronto event, on September 28, 2019, inspired this poem: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/09/28/christian-groups-march-into-gay-village-leads-to-showdown-with-lgbtq-supporters.html

Wounded Hearts (February 5, 2014)

www.slideplayer.com

Are you

So unsure

In your own sexuality

You need to attack others

Who are?

With passing

Or pending legislation

Which reeks

Of "Jim Crow" laws

Against the LGBT+ community.

Bringing back

A dark and disgraceful period

Of American history

Under the fig leaf

Of religious freedom.

Only this time

You can't use

A person's skin colour

As the basis

For your hatred.

No matter

How you try

To justify your actions.

Hate remains hate.

And your actions

Need to be countered

By gestures.

Which builds bridges

Across these emotional divides

Not barbed wire fences

By the fanatics.

Who's hearts

Are harden

Against love

And understanding.

Therisa © 2014

Author's note; Another poem, from my poetic morgue, which sadly, seems more relative today, given the current political climate, in the United States, and parts of western Canada.

Beyond The Pale (October 26, 2016) Inbox x

How can you

Be objective

In judging me?

When you don't know

Who I am

Or the experience

I have lived.

And yet

You sit

In absolute judgement

Condemning me

On sight

Alone.

Having never uttered

A single word

To you.

Tell me

Where is

Your impartiality?

To you

I am 

An offending piece

Of human flesh

That's condemned

To Hell.

Why?

For challenging

Your notion

On what gender

And sexuality

Means.

In defiling

What the "Holy Book" says

Is acceptable

For society.

Thing is

I don't believe

In this Book.

Or those

Who wrote it.

Sad part is

Your very actions

Goes against

The holy Book

Itself.

Therisa © 2016

Author's note: Its interesting, how it's those, who protested the loudest, are the ones, who are guilty of the crime, they claim others are committing against them.And for the record, I have experience this reaction, several times, from total strangers, re-inforcing my feelings, for not following one of the three major religions.

Not, In God's Name (September 3, 2016)

Hello 

My name is

Therisa.

For those

Who don't know

Me.

I am

A transsexual

(Male to female).

Correcting

The physical deformity 

Being born

A female soul

Within a male body.

And 

An abuse survivor

From family members

And bullies.

Who is

Actively

Seeking help

In healing

These mental wounds.

I know

How easily

It would be.

To surrender

Myself

To the pain.

Ending all

With my suicide.

As I refuse

To grant power

Towards those

Who say:

"Being punished

For my sinful ways

As a trans-lesbian."

Quoting

Various verses

From the New

and Old Testament.

As if

These hateful words 

Could magically

Change me.

Haven't you realize

The hatred

You're spreading

As the "Gospel Truth"

To the world

Is morally wrong?

Guess not

As you're too busy

Running away

From your own 

Inner daemons.

To realize

This.

Therisa © 2016

Author's note: Earlier, this week, the Peel Board Of Education made a big splash, locally, when it announced all of its secondary school washrooms would become "all-gender", for the start of this school year, on Tuesday (September 5, 2016). For more on this, please click on the link: www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2016/08/31/peel-board-to-include-all-gender-washrooms-in-every-high-school.html. 

Upon hearing this news report, a person, I know, made the comment, a derisive comment, about women, not being safe, in public washrooms. Never mind, many LGBT+ people have been violently assaulted, in public spaces, thus refuse to use them, as a way of protecting themselves, from harm. 

Personally, I don't know of any woman, who can make similar claims, regarding this. In fact, have been made to feel like, I'm inferior or a freak, when I had ask, at a certain coffee shop, for the entry code, to their female washroom, in Toronto's Gay Village. Which, was reluctantly given to me, by one, of its employees. A place, I refuse to go to, again, with my patronage.

Intolerance (August 6, 2016)

Why do you seek

To force me

Into your beliefs?

Knowing

Full well

My steadfast

Refusal of them.

As if

My rejection

Is spurning you

Forward

In this pursuit

Of madness.

Does not

Several decades

Of "No"

Mean anything

To you?

In pushing me

Ever further

From your side.

By creating

An insurmountable divide

Between us

That only death

Can bridge.

I ask this

As your time is nigh

And won't  be there

For your final breathe

Or funeral.

Knowing

You'll never change

Before Death's embrace

Mom.

Therisa © 2016

Author's note: Reflections on, part of my therapy session, I had, earlier this week (August 3, 2016), how my mom has refuse to accept the boundaries, I have placed around religious observation, in regards, to attending a Christian church. Never mind, her narrow mindedness, and the irrational fear that grips her, towards my transitioning, into her daughter, from a son.

Janus, Would Be Proud (May 26, 2016)

They call

Themselves

Christians.

Instead of

Preaching love

As their religion

Espouses.

Pure hatred

Oozes

From their frozen hearts

Like oil

From the ground.

Sitting

So smugly

In their Sunday best

Upon the church pew.

Praying
For my soul's

Salvation.

Fake smiles

Plastered

Upon their faces.

Like a poster

Wrapped around

The telephone pole.

Advertising

The latest release

From a local indie

Group.

Hate to think

How they would

Treat me.

If I had reacted

In a disrespectful manner

To them.

Guess

They don't read

Their own religious text

In having forgotten

The golden rule.

Therisa © 2016

Author's note: Often wonder, how someone, who claims, to speak, in the Voice of God, can be filled, with such hatred, like many socially conservative Christians. Last time, I looked, the Christian bible wasn't filled with ignorance or pure hatred. Although, I must say, I'm not a Christian, nor pretend, to be one. Had too much religious hatred, forced down my throat, for being, a trans-lesbian.

Just The Way, It Is (January 23, 2016)

www.susans.org

Hello

My name is

Therisa.

Does this

Bother you?

As you say:

"Male".

As if

It was

The most vilest

Curse word

You know.

Correct me

If I'm wrong.

But didn't

Your religious belief

Teach you.

To treat others

As you want them

To treated you?

Especially

Volunteering

At a food/clothing bank

For disadvantaged "women"

And families?

I write this

Not to embarrass you.

Rather

Trying to understand

Why you harbour

Such ill will

Towards me.

Honestly

I wish

It was possible.

For you

To experience

The "Hells"

I have travelled

Through.

Just to reach

This stage

Of my life.

Actively

Attempting to

Correct

This genetic mistake.

Of being born

In the wrong gendered

Body.

Is this

Asking

Too much?

For compassion

And a helping hand

Towards

A fellow human being.

For some

It is.


Therisa © 2016

Author's note: On January 19th, I walked up, to a nearby food/clothing bank, ran by, a local Christian organization, in Toronto. For the first time, in 13 months, I was made to feel like, I didn't belong there, by one particular volunteer, there. Guess, I shouldn't be surprised, given my past experienced, with "religious" people and their gross intolerance, towards those, who challenge their perception of "what is right and wrong". In their quoting verses, from the Talmud and the New Testament, at me, saying my soul is, eternally damned, for being a trans-lesbian.


I didn't feel right, in challenge this person, outright, rather tried to pass it, by saying, I'm transitioning, which is true. Maybe, the next time, if I see her, I will ask, if we can go to a separate room, and try to enlighten her, about her rudeness and ignorance. If she is willing, to keep an open mind, while we talk.


For the record, I'm not, a practicing Jew, Christian, or Muslim. Rather, find myself, leaning towards Animism, which some "People of the Book" would view me, as being Pagan.  Never mind, I was forced by my mom, to attend various Protestant churches, until my mid-teens, when I said, "enough". Never have felt comfortable, in any of these churches. In fact, one church made me feel, like I was walking over the graves of dead.