Duet

[Laurette]

Duet

By Laurette & Bob

 

Am I him,

Or am I her

My mind tells me one thing

And my body presents the other

 

Not fitting in

But accepted by men

Wanting acceptance

But excluded by women

 

She appeared within him

Much to his surprise

Confusion, understanding

Yet his whole life it defies

 

We’re confused,

Scared to the bone.

Surrounded by others,

Yet, somehow, always alone.

 

She exists

She is real

But her public appearance

Is denied with much zeal

 

She exists

But must remain hidden

Carefully concealed

As an odious midden

 

She has her life

So completely hidden

Only called forth

When safely bidden

 

He exists

He is real

His public appearance

Is propped up with much zeal

 

 

 

 

He exists

He is always on display

To do otherwise

Would cause much dismay

 

He lives his life

In so much pain

Nurtures and protects

For others to gain

 

He’s been through so much

And lived his life

but now it’s her turn

though the cost is much strife

 

There’s so much missed time

She already regrets

Is it asking too much

To live some before the sun sets

 

She feels trapped

So does he

She by his body

He by what she needs to be

 

She’s eager, excited,

Impatient to go

He’s nervous, frightened

Sees the need to go slow

 

She awoke inside him

Much to his dismay

Now he cherishes her

More than he can convey

 

We exist

But we are trapped

Our future course

Is territory unmapped

 

 

 

 

 

We are real

We’ve been given the trust

We are depended on by others

So continue on we must

 

She gives him hope

He provides inner strength

Together, maybe,

They can journey the full length.

 

Am I him

Or am I her

Something of which

I’m never sure

 

But I do know

That together

We

Are me

[Charlize]

Thanks.  I can certainly relate to much of your poem.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[BlindWillow]

I really like how you've woven together the two perspectives of your previous poems into a union of the two here. It's a creative way to illustrate the challenge of weaving together all the different threads of identity and history that characterizes the transgender experience. Thank you for sharing it.