At Sunday Scribblings (glad I’m back on course after a break), we were given a one-word prompt: LIMITS. Click the Scrib link and then on the poets’ names (which are linked to their blogs) to check out other folks! Peace, Amy
HAD IT UP TO HERE
I’ve had it up to here
‘cause my daughter, who is ‘queer’
is not welcome in my sister’s home
I’ve taken all I’ll stand
from all those who would demand
that I discard my kid like a dead battery
I’m telling all the world
she is perfect, she’s my girl
If you don’t love her, please don’t waste your prayers
On Riley or her mom
because we know we are BOMB
and anyone who doesn’t get it can get stuffed
I tried to make this rhyme
to some extent, it is fine
but I couldn’t rhyme “battery” with “flattery” because that concept is entirely absent from some people’s hearts. But at least it’s truthful!
© 2010 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Sharp Little Pencil 
booguloo
Homophobic people are the worst, but the most fun to pick at!
Just saying….
Sharp Little Pencil
I’ve always said I hold but one prejudice… bigots! How’s that for irony? Thanks, Booguloo, for stopping by! Peace, Amy
Sherry Blue Sky
Love the poem – and your mother’s heart. Riley will be strong and secure, because her mom is in her corner. I just dont “get” some peoples’ lack of acceptance for a human being’s right to be who they are. Grrrrrrr. Great poem!
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks for all your comments, Sherry. It’s that “I’m right, you’re wrong” thing I don’t get, although I do admit (as I was saying to booguloo) that my one prejudice is against bigots! I don’t have to be right, just heard with respect. And I accept everyone on their own terms. But when the hate speech comes out, I do not sit there and pretend it is not happening, I challenge it – peacefully.
Bigots tend to run out of words and go for fists or even guns. I’ve had to leave places before under threat of violence for simply asking someone not to use a racial epithet in reference to one of my friends, and twice over homophobes. (They were both closet cases, too, so sad. About an 11 on my gaydar!)
Sarah Gene
A particularly good one! I really appreciated your comment on my post for Limits, so I thought I’d check you out! (: And I’m glad I did! Great stuff!
Sharp Little Pencil
The best part about following prompts like Sun. Scribs, Big Tent, and We Write Poems, as well as Jingle’s blog, is meeting new poets and getting to know their work.
I’ve been out of the loop for a bit, but as I said, will be back fulltime in February. Peace, and so glad you stopped by. Hope to run into you again soon, Sarah!
Amy
Understanding Alice
oh I liked this very much – more power to your elbow… and your sharp little pencil 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
Thank you, Alice! And now to peruse your blog…
I was lucky the Sharp Little Pencil name wasn’t taken, because it suits my humor/sarcasm to a “t”!!
Amy
Debbie
I love your truthfulness and your ability to work it into your prompts and poems! 🙂 And Amy, what is your take on rhyme? I’ve been told that it can sound silly, but often for what I do, it still keeps coming out of me! ha!
Sharp Little Pencil
If rhyme comes out of you, best use it. I’ve been a songwriter for so many years, free verse literally FREED me from having to rhyme, but sometimes it still comes out naturally.
It’s not a crime
if the poem don’t rhyme
But if rhyme it do
prob’ly came from YOU! LOL Silly Amy
Rene Foran
you are all the bomb!
and you know what?
in the end, it ain’t about the haters
Faith
Family can be the most cruel, or maybe it just hurts more coming from people who are supposed to love without conditions? Good for you for not turning your back on your child!
Sharp Little Pencil
I was raised around all sorts of folks, my mom being a singer and coming from a creative family. I rarely noticed differences in shade of brown in the skin or limpness in the wrist or any of the stereotypical things. It was all just about the music and the love. So when gay, Hispanic, Black, White, lesbian, trans people all hung around our house, that was called family.
Too bad my sisters didn’t come along for the ride. They jumped ship as soon as they grew up. Me? I became a singer and… love everybody! Even the haters!
Thanks, Faith, for your perspective. Peace, Amy
1sojournal
Your poem brought up a great deal of emotional and issue related memories. I see the world much as you do, but that means I often am relagated to an outsider position. And it makes no difference how polite you are, disagreement is seen as an admission of guilt or sin. And that attitude brings out the sharp little pencil in me as well. I salute you for your stance, because I know how difficult it can be, and how worthwhile it is.
Elizabeth
Sharp Little Pencil
Elizabeth, Thanks for a thoughtful, heartfelt comment. I once wrote, “In a perfect world, there’d be no need for fears; in a perfect world, no need for tears.” Disagreements happen, especially (at least for me) in families. THat can lead to a loss of respect and ultimately love.
I do love my sister, as I love everyone. If I’m gonna call myself a follower of God, I am supposed to love even my enemies, let alone those with whom I have big disagreements. I cannot condemn homophobes for feeling as they do, but I reserve the right to not sit silently and watch people I love be demeaned. I guess that’s the slippery slope of love: Can you disagree without cutting off the person? Can I truly love homophobes? In my heart, that is a gut-wrenching question: Can I live up to the commandment? Peace, Amy
Tilly Bud
Thank God for poetry! It enables us to vent our spleen safely but powerfully. Sorry to hear your daughter is the victim of such prejudice.
I love the last two lines of this poem.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Tilly. And yes, thank God for poetry, for self-expression – and frankly, for living in a time and place where women are allowed to express themselves without retribution, which is not so for many of our Christian, Jewish, and Muslim sisters. All religions have an extreme side in which women have no say whatsoever.
And I liked the last two lines, too! It’s typical Amy, I guess. That synapse fires and makes for some fun in even the darkest moments. It’s part of the reason I have a bit of gratitude for being a manic depressive who’s big on self-care and following the meds and therapy!!
Amy
deborah
I love your poem and I love your attitude, they can get stuffed for sure … it’s thier loss, it sounds as if they’d be missing out on a remarkable girl if she’s anything like her mum! :o)
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Deborah! Very sweet of you to say that. I’m a rowdy girl, for sure – singer, poet, pastor’s wife, PFLAG mom (parents and friends of lesbians and gays; I travel the entire rainbow. I am Dorothy!). Riley is definitely my daughter – took her to her first anti-war protest at 3 (Gulf War, Puerto Rican Reservists being deployed, taking both mom and dad from kids at the same time, not rotating deployments). She’s a talented, Audrey-Hepburn-beautiful, politically savvy woman who does not define herself by any one tag… I told her when she came out, “We love you and are so proud of your strength. Remember, you’re not just a lesbian, you are a hundred brilliant things, including that.”
Anyone who thinks coming out is a choice thinks the Valedictorian of da Vinci High School (Class of 06) is a nitwit. And Riley’s mom didn’t raise any nitwits!!!
leesis
Your daughter has reasons to be grateful
Sharp Little Pencil
Believe me, I have even more reasons! Thanks, Leesa! Amy
Mehreen
intense… i think that the way it should be… liked the way you wrote about the prompt 🙂
welcome back to blogging 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks for the welcome back. More like welcome HOME, although it will be sporadic as the move date approaches. But look out, February, I’ll be sharpening my pencil then!
Intense is a good word for it. The “Limit” prompt sprang off the page and I KNEW exactly what I needed to get on paper. Weird, huh? Some prompts, “I got nuthin’,” yet others burn for response.
See you soon, and I’m going to keep track of your blog, Mehreen. Amy
Mehreen
“Limit” sounds intense to me… I love intense words… you can keep on writing about them!
Thanks for the link up 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
Mehreen, as long as you keep popping up on Mr. Linky, I’ll keep coming back for more. Participation will be sporadic until Feb. 1, but I’ll drop in! Thanks! Amy
Jae Rose
‘We are BOMB’ – just love that and hope to use it myself! It’s hard to hold your head high when those who should love you (unconditionally) put you down..I am glad you have each other..thanks for your email visit..Jae
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Jae, for understanding about the Blogger vs. WordPress email conundrum! You will always hear from me via email (unless you add that Captcha feature), and you can always take my comments (if you like them!) and cut and paste to post them yourself.
I was told by a friend, when I wrote in another poem, “My daughter thinks I am da bomb,” that it’s now simply “bomb.” Boy, did I feel old!! And Riley knows Lex and I have her back, as well as her dad and stepmom and so many friends… and Lex’s family! Odd, the family of my birth doesn’t get it, but her stepfamily does… But all of us girls were raised civil rights, gay friendly, color-isn’t-the-judgment, cool people. My mom would roll in her grave if she knew the state of things with us… A.
Lafemmeroar
You rock. Welcome to the Crazy Chicks Club. Thanks for sharing this link on the comments 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks for allowing me into such illustrious company!! I do love your blog as well and will come back again! Peace, Amy
hollyjb
Hey! I got here from the link you left in the Crazy Chicks Club Comments section. This was a great poem! Homosexuality, for me, is sort of…hard for me to explain how I feel. Ah, this isn’t coming out right. As per my beliefs I disagree with the lifestyle of homosexuality (I’m not sure if that’s a good word, but I’m going with it). That being said, I have a lot of gay friends and one who is a lesbian (maybe bisexual) and I love them for who they are. They are my friends, I’m not going to get all uppity because they might happen to like the same guys I do! In some ways, I’m confused about the subject; the whole ‘born with it’ or ‘choice’ issue. It contradicts with what I’ve been taught, but I do know that I’m supposed to love everyone. I’m of the ‘agree to disagree’ faction.
Unfortunately I know a few extreme homophobic people. Just the fact that they are so intense in their hate makes me want to scream because you know they won’t listen to reason if it’s slapping them in the face! And it’s not just homosexuality (I’m actually thinking about a specific person right now). It’s not healthy to be so closed off in your opinions. Open your ears and mind a little bit and you might actually enjoy life.
So maybe my indecisiveness is because I’m non-confrontational (for the most part), I hate it when people are angry with me. We all have free will to choose how we want to live our lives and I say if I like you as a person I’m going to be your friend no matter who you’re attracted to. It’s all about actions. You might talk the talk, but do you walk the walk? Me, I’m still working on it.
Tell your daughter I say not to let her aunt get her down. Rascal Flatts said it well: Love who you love, with all that you have, and don’t waste the time that flies so fast.
^_^
Sharp Little Pencil
Dear Holly,
I’m going to send you an email that’s more detailed, but I do want to share this: I applaud your courage in admitting that you don’t share my opinion. It’s the only way we, as thinking, mature adults, can open the dialog. Like the vehement homophobes you know, so intense in their belief that they are “right” and LGBT people are “wrong,” I think in the back of your mind, you’re wondering whether you could ever be that polarized. I don’t think you could be! It’s having gay and lesbian friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc., that gives you a comfort zone – but it may be something in your present – perhaps a pastor or maybe parents? – that keeps you from being entirely comfortably with all the gay folks you DON’T know personally. Interesting post, and food for thought. Again, you are an honest person, and you say what’s on your mind. For that, and for your words to my daughter (who truly thinks her aunt is clueless anyway), I say thanks and peace! Amy
hollyjb
I am with you there. I definitely am a bit contradictory, but I think of it this way (and I’m most likely way over-simplifying it): We all have traits and habits that our friends don’t really like, but they stick with us anyway. I’m not saying homosexuality is a trait or habit, but it’s a part of who the person is, sexual preference is a part of who we all are, and I will like you despite that, or rather because of that or something (:S). If I like you enough to be your friend then I want to be your friend and it’s as simple as that. I may not like everybody, but it has nothing to do with sexual preference, it’s their personality!
Thank you for your response and I look forward to that email. I lived quite a sheltered life until university, where homosexuality was something glossed over or ignored for the most part (going to a high school and living in an area predominantly white Mennonite will do that). I was actually 16 when I first had the opportunity to befriend a gay boy at a Leadership camp I went to. I’m so glad I just took the news in stride and didn’t let it bother me. When I found out, we were already all friends (my cabin and our brother cabin) and even though I can be totally clueless I didn’t let it change my opinion of him and for that I am glad. I know some adults who wouldn’t have been that mature.
I also appreciate the fact that you encourage all opinions here and that you’re willing to have an intelligent (at least on your end!) discussion on any subject. I may be confused on a lot of things, and I am ever grateful when I discuss them without fear of someone biting my head off because they don’t like my opinion. Especially when I have issues getting my point across succinctly. Holly
Sharp Little Pencil
Holly, we will indeed talk via email, and I won’t try to “convert” you like accepting LGBT people is a religion! But you hit on an important point – I do appreciate the diversity of opinion we have here – the last one was about the death penalty, and we all emerged not only unscathed, but probably more understanding of each other.
I admit, I write some controversial poetry, and it’s bound to raise some eyebrows. But as long as I have folks like you respectfully offering different opinions, I know I’m on the right track. It means that no one is taking everything I write verbatim, nor am I “preaching to the choir.” We are all on this earth to grow, and the best way to achieve that is through mutually respectful discussion. So don’t put yourself down by saying you’re confused. This is simply something you haven’t discussed in this way before. Peace be with you, Holly, and I hope to hear back from you! Amy
uponthewingsofnight
Certain members of my family are gay and I accept them for who they are. Before my brother Duane passed, I let him know that I loved him and accepted him for the gay man he was. He had a positive influence on my life in many ways and I’m so thankful that I was able to accept him. Keep up the great work and keep on loving your daughter for the well-rounded, talented individual she is. Brett
Sharp Little Pencil
Don’t you wish more people who DIDN’T have gay and lesbian family members would get it? My calling is to get straight women to accept LGBTQ people, everyone. Especially when the women are Christian; I remind us that Jesus didn’t play favorites. Would love to talk more with you about this subject, straight to straight, to compare experiences. Amy