On the sidewalk

Ever notice LGBTQ couples holding hands in public? Too disturbingly often (like just this morning on 8th Avenue in Manhattan, during Pride Month, no less) I’ve noticed something that sours the sweetness.

On the sidewalk

two men hold hands.

Tentative,

self-conscious,

and furtive.

They look ahead.

On guard.

Not at each other,

like adoring straight couples

get to do

without thinking.

It tempers the thrill

I long to feel.

For me,

for them.

Photo by Lareised Leneseur on Unsplash

M

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Morris Ardoin’s book, STONE MOTEL – MEMOIRS of a CAJUN BOY can be purchased through the publisher, on the independent bookseller website Indibound, or on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers, and is also available as an audiobook on Audible.