Heels
By Anonymous
Size 16 platform pumps—beige hue—
A 300-pound man,
And a world unexpecting of his beauty.
He rose to the stage of life requiring their stares,
demanding their acclamations. He towered
above judgement; standing upon none but his own grace.
He received the applause with ease
from an audience that both loved and abhorred him.
Miniscule was the aches he felt in the balls of his feet.
Bearable was the searing pain of his blisters.
Every “heel-toe” step he took exhumed the skeletons;
the skeletons of his past which he salted and burned.
The heels stole his voice, declaring his elegance and singing his
name.
He toyed with masculinity and femininity,
molding them according to his motif.
The chains that confined him to convention had rusted away.
Was he free? No.
He long prepared himself for the “Why?”,
for the beatings of Leviticus and Deuteronomy,
for the sermons and homilies that promised his descent into the land of the sinner.
He prepared himself for the “cure”.
He awaited the hand to seal his mouth, but
the heels—once again—stole his voice;
proclaiming his beauty for it was something to behold.
It sang to the ears that were willing to listen,
it posed for the eyes that were willing to look,
it stood before the hearts that were willing to accept.
Now was he free? No.
He feared the home for it was there
that he locked his beauty in a box and hid it under the floorboards.
There he wiped his grace away with L’Oreal,
the oils of his magnificence washed away with Dawn dish soap.
His beard began to grow back; casting a shadow upon his once clear face.
There, he was boy and nothing else.
There, he was son and nothing else.
There, he was man and nothing else.
There, he was not heard.
There, he was not seen.
There, he was not him.
In recognition of Pride Month —a time to celebrate inclusion and diversity, while also recognizing the need to continue advocating for equal rights and opportunities for all— Marianas Variety has partnered with the Northern Marianas Humanities Council to celebrate diversity in our community. The submissions are from the Humanities Councils’ Pride Talks writing contest. The Council is pleased to collaborate with Marianas Variety in sharing and publishing the winning submissions every Wednesday for the month of June. All the winning works will also be on display at the NMI Museum and presented at various Pride events throughout the month. For more information about how you can join the Council in celebrating Pride this year, check out nmhcouncil.org or follow the Council on Facebook or Instagram (@670humanities).
NMHC Pride Talks has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this feature do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
