Ode to Queer Spaces

Under a velvet haze of cigarette smoke

roaring jukebox and TVs blaring sports

sweethearts perched on knees

territorial hands cement on hips

prowling for women or food or a fight

Oh, those dive bars of your youth

interloping on strange turf

before you knew places like this existed—

your feet melt into molten honey

the sweetest of homecomings:

under the amber glow of lights

women steal back the spaces

between their bodies

studs, butches, femmes, baby dykes

all sweat and stone

queens serve Vogue realness

dancing a revolution

here, the whiskey on rocks tastes like holy water

an ambrosia inside this safe haven

Strangers become regulars

become community

become family—

the faces may change

usher in new crowds, new generations

but this is your space:

a refuge to come as you are and love who you love