Holding hands

it’s an act of resistance

holding my boyfriend’s hand

as we walk down the street

I do it for them

the watching eyes

judging, maybe

staring, definitely

perhaps we are the first queers they’ve seen

we certainly won’t be the last

we are a symbol of the world to come 

a world they cannot resist forever

it’s an act of hope

holding my boyfriend’s hand

as we walk down the street

I do it for those

who need to see it

those like me

who squeal internally

when they see two queers together

knowing there is more hope for us

than we’ve ever had before

it’s an act of love

holding my boyfriend’s hand

as we walk down the street

I do it for us

our fingers interlaced

the rush of when it was all still new

comes back to me

each time our eyes meet shyly

I lose sight of any onlookers

it is only us two here

for I am a young queer in love

walking down the street with my boyfriend

holding hands

Ethan (he/him)