they growl and circle
like hungry wolves
ready to devour,
but what they don’t know
is i am the moon’s daughter;
they think they will surrender
my rainbow heart to darkness
but they don’t know i have known
the darkness all my life—
i tire of people who are straight
wanting a parade,
like they don’t know pride was
caused by a riot;
trying to educate people but most
seem unwilling to learn
perhaps i am planting a seed
that will linger in their mind—
all i know is that i won’t be pulled apart
by their fangs nor will i surrender to them,
no matter how much they snarl;
i am not disgusting
just a girl that recognizes love is love
no matter how it manifests.
~
Linda M. Crate’s works have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies both online and in print. She is the author of six poetry chapbooks, the latest of which is: More Than Bone Music (Clare Songbirds Publishing House, March 2019). She’s also the author of the novel Phoenix Tears (Czykmate Books, June 2018). Recently she has published two full-length poetry collections Vampire Daughter (Dark Gatekeeper Gaming, February 2020) and The Sweetest Blood (Cyberwit, February 2020).