I want to hold your hand
like it is the world between my fingers
Walking bravely down the sidewalk,
Holding each other like armor
preparing for the inevitable
Never knowing when a simple outing could go wrong
I want to hold your hand
While we strut into our high school prom
Dancing with each other like nobody is watching
Proving to the teachers and students who told us no
That they can’t stop love
At least not yet
I want to hold your hand
Walking down the street at pride
Rainbow flags in hand
With people on the sidelines
Yelling about how we’re going to Hell
But they don’t know anything about us
And I hold your hand a little bit tighter
I want to hold your hand
Tracing the marks on your skin like a map
Trying to commit everything to memory
In fear that I might lose you too early
Wondering what I’d do without you
Because too many lives end before they should
I want to hold your hand
So tight that neither of us can let go,
Knowing that once we do It will feel like an eternity before
I can feel you again
Because there are only so many places
we can truly be ourselves
I want to hold your hand
Until it’s the last day on Earth
Plagued by injustice and inequality
Raining down with cruelty and corruption
Where no one is safe from the hailstorm
of the blood of millions who have died
just for being different
I want to hold your hand
But the world won’t let us
Because people are afraid
That people who aren’t like them
Are dangerous
And dangerous people aren’t allowed to hold hands