I wrote this poem on International Day of Disabled People on the issues of being both a disabled person with hidden impairments who also happens to be a transwoman. Needless to say this can often result in sterotyping you wouldn’t believe unless you’d been at the other end of it and some ludicrous assumptions being made as to what you can and can’t do particularly when it comes to affairs of the heart or if you want to be honest about it sex. So for the avoidance of doubt let me just say I have as a healthy a sexual appetite as any woman but if and when I take a lover I will decide who it is and what is or isn’t permissible It is with this in mind I have written a poem which though hard hitting is not without humour. After consulting with friends I have titled it The Price Of Prejudice I hope you enjoy the read.
The Price Of Prejudice
As a trans woman I’m visible
because I refuse to hide
no matter what snide remarks
the intellectually challenged
may attempt to make
I will not break to please them
or their stereotypical views
this is a newsflash to caveman
your time ended long ago
but there’s something else
I think you should know
you see I’m not just trans
I’m a disabled transwoman
I know you’ll think I’m less than human
but I really don’t give a damn
for your opinions
my conditions are not ones
you can actually see
but they are part of me
and yes I do have sex
I just dont want to have it with you
trust me Prince charmless
I’ve invented things
you would never be able to do
well not without losing a few pounds
and I don’t mean in the bookies or arcades
the only thing getting laid
when your around is a table
so what if you give me two labels
for the price of one
I play dumb and ignore your idea of fun
before moving on to better times
with better looking guys
that may surprise you
well it will
but this girl knows who she is
and why it matters
I don’t want rescued by some dodgy knight
in second hand armour
I want a man who can keep me in armani
you might call me a tranny
but you can’t turn me on
it’s way beyond your ability
it’s not who you are
there are stars in the sky
but you only ever see clouds
you think loudness is a substitute for funny
it isn’t and you need to know your limits
if children were a raffle prize
it’s safe to say your folks didn’t win it
and the only 69 you’ll get tonight is a bus
meanwhile my t-shirt says orgasms are us
but only one of us is faking reality
and it isn’t me
I know you want me
it’s the reason you haunt me
in spite of me being able to tick
every box in a diversity form
you scorn me in front of your friends
pretend you don’t fancy me
or find me attractive
I know you do you’d love us
to be sexually active with each other
under the cover of night
you could have been Mr Right
if you’d known how to behave
but I’m saving myself for a hero
who won’t trip over his ego
in the middle of the dance floor
and won’t put me second
in a contest with the bathroom mirror
god knows I don’t do vanity
I’ve never been in to faking reality
you take me as I am with all my imperfections
life is not a selection box
where you take what you like
and leave the others to fight
for the scraps you’ve left them
as you rearrange the packaging
making sure it is all correctly labelled
and the special offers say
buy one prejudice get one free.
© Gayle Smith 2018
Skirtingroundmylife 