There are names that arrive already under strain,
spoken halfway, like breath held too long in air,
as if certainty is something they must explain.
They stand between what others claim is “there”
and what is dismissed as passing, uncertain, untrue,
a life made to answer for simply being somewhere.
Not one thing, not another—yet that is all they’re allowed to do:
be measured against someone else’s expectation,
as though identity must choose a single view.
But desire does not ask for neat classification,
it moves through bodies without consulting permission,
refusing the demand for reduction or explanation.
Still, the world prefers clean lines of division,
stories that end where they began, sealed tight,
leaving no room for overlap or collision.
So what is erased is not the presence, but the sight—
the habit of refusing to see the whole in frame,
the way complexity is edited into “either/or” light.
And yet it persists, in quiet refusal of the same:
lives that do not shrink to fit the script they’re given,
even when the sentence tries to forget their name.
-
Author:
Matthew R. Callies (
Offline) - Published: June 24th, 2026 00:26
- Comment from author about the poem: Poem number 24 for Pride Month. This poem is about the unfortunate behavior surrounding bisexual erasure coming from both homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. Many people view bisexuals and pansexuals as going through a phase, confused, in denial or either unwilling or unable to be monogamous. For more context visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisexual_erasure
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 6
- Users favorite of this poem: Ogunisjustice, Tristan Robert Lange
- In collections: The Continuance of Us.
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Comments2
I hear in this poem the praise of one that stands up for who they are despite outside discouragement. Nicely written Matthew
Matthew, what struck me most is the tension between complexity and reduction. The poem keeps returning to the idea that some lives are constantly measured against expectations that were never broad enough to contain them in the first place. The ending, with that quiet persistence despite being misunderstood, lands beautifully. I think this is similarly true of how many people treat the transgender community (to which I belong) as well. Powerful piece, my friend. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
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