To Matthew Shepard: The Unwilling Representative of a Greater Issue

Beautiful boy, why do you cry?
Do you feel so alone even with friends in the sky?
The moon and the stars bathe you in grace,
Before the sun sends its rays to kiss your sweet face.
You cry now, in anguish, they're unsure what to do,
they're all in dismay they weep now for you.
The cool autumn day, the scent of the pine
mixed in with the sagebrush- the sweet smell, so fine
The wind that has carried and blown far for you
whispers its sadness to the rest of the crew

But the greatest presence that your tears can afford
Is a friend you've always known, a friend called the Lord.
For His love, He is crushed, His child is torn
How could other boys do this out of mere scorn?

Beautiful child dragged through the street
beaten, then tied and then left to meet
his doom, his own end, an unwillful martyr
made unable to fight and then beaten harder

But beautiful boy why do you cry?
Your friends, your supporters- the numbers are high!

But the darkness comes too, it marches in hate
to spew forth its venom, it can't even wait
They scream and they lie till their faces are red
As you lay there in anguish on your last bed.
Their signs and their slogans, freedom, with support
to keep YOU from freedoms, deciding whom you can court
It's vile, it's wicked, then there's this drag
You've had enough torture without the word Fag.

Fear not dear, sweet boy there are many who fight for you
As there are those who have hate, there are those with love too.
Amazing, great people who have put on these wings
to make an actual wall to shield your family from the stings
The hatred, the anger, the reverend that fights
Held back by these Angels, these people in tights.

GOD DOESN'T HATE FAGS
HE LOVES US ALL

There's love and there's hate but none, you can see
but you've made an impact on thousands, made an impact on me.
You started a movement that you never will see
because of hatred and murder, fueled by bigotry.
I think that I love you but I'll never know
Gay, straight, or friendship- what was once unlikely, now impossible.

Beautiful boy, I know why you cry
Thick, warm blood covering every inch of you face, I know why you cry
Your body destroyed, cracked bones puncturing through flesh, I know why you cry
Tied to a fence, bloodied hands in makeshift handcuffs, tears streaming, mixing with blood, I know why you cry
Left alone in the bitter cold to suffer through the night, wind hitting your face more bluntly than the butt of the pistol that struck you repeatedly, I know why you cry.
More bitterly than the fist that kissed your cheek and ravaged your body for, seemingly, an eternity, with no remorse, unprovoked, fueled by Malice, I know why you cry
Yes dear, sweet, beautiful boy, I know why you cried
You were born with these feelings, and for that you have died

Comments

lizardoa21

Such a grim image that you described extremely vividly and beautifully. The hate will end eventually though it will take time since even minorities are still being discriminated against and its been decades worth of fighting. But change will come. You are an amazing poet please continue writing i look forward to reading more

 

Ketta

Hatred in general is not okay. It's not about straight, gay, christian, atheist, white, black, hispanic.. Everyone is hated by someone, often for something they can't control, and it's not okay. Likely hate will never be completely eradicated, not when we preach it to our children, and not when we're so blind to our own hate.

rachelbarnett96

I got shivers. Grim yet beautiful words.

Darkest Mystery

I really really like this it not only helps people realize their hatred is wrong and pointless but it also shows what it can cause how it can take an innocent life and destroy it for beliefs that are in a word horrid

alwilliams1818

Powerful!

JSispab018

This was the most beautifully emotive piece I've ever read; each vivid trace of imagery, line upon line, brought me nearly to tears as I felt everything you wrote. We can't help what we feel or whom we're naturally born as, but we can convert the pain we experience into something poignant through poetry. 

Ty47

I felt that so much.. Amazing job

Jan Wienen

Impossible to ignore this message ... food for deeper thought ... Thanks

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