Pride

 My first experience with anything queer was that of misinformation.

I was led to believe that people who acted different were not to be associated with and were to be cast aside.

I took a piece of myself and stored it in lockbox and thought I lost the key.

I was one of these people that were to be cast aside.

Knowing this, I saw a path before me that could lead to two possible outcomes.

On the one hand, I could continue with my path chosen for me, discard that piece of myself, to go into a spiral of denial and loathing that would end in a dark place.

On the other, seek out help for I perceived as a broken part of myself that needed to be fixed.

I am still on my journey to fully accept myself as I am.

I have chosen to take pride in myself, as the world has taught me no one else will.

They say Pride is a Deadly Sin, but to use it to better one self, and to make it so that there is a next morning, I think of it as a Virtue.

Life becomes worth living when there is worth to be had.