Price of a Label

[srm628]

People are obsessed with labeling people.
They want to know exactly how we fit
In, like blocks in a sorting cube.
However, sometimes we are forced
To put a rainbow circle in the square defined hole
Of cisgender and heterosexual.

We are asked to be proud of ourselves,
To step out of the closet wearing a pride flag
Tied around our necks like a cape,
So society can choke and hang
Us with the symbol we stand by.

We are threatened with hellfire
And told that we offend God
With our sin because we love
Someone of the same gender
Or identify with different pronouns.

We are told to scream our identities
From a rooftop to the world below,
To rally in what makes us who we are,
While society creeps behind us,
Pushing us over the edge,
And splatting us into the cement.

The price of a label is a life.
Labels can rape and kill.
It closes a book,
Only letting people see the cover.

[Billy Bookmark]

Well said, the Holocaust had labels. The civil war in the south had labels. We as a society over the years are beginning to be more tolerant with labels but still need a lot of work. Great writing. It makes one think and do a bit of self inventory. Thank you