To the Observant Motorist Who Called Me Faggot - . by James Davis
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Winner of the Goodreads Poetry Contest, June 2009
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chapter 1
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updated Jun 03, 2009
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935 characters
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63 people liked this writing
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20 reviews of this writing
We have names for things we don't even understand.
The Doppler Effect, for instance. You have no idea
how it works, and neither do I, but I'm sure we both
can appreciate the way it splits
words into two clean syllables--
the fag from got, the it from fag.
I like to think of myself as a hyphen.
And as for what you think, well ...
There's only so much I can learn
from these kinds of conversations.
Maybe to you I'm a pinata--gaily colored, filled with sugar,
battered open by blindfolded children.
Maybe in your life's game of Tag,
I am, perpetually, It.
Or maybe after all, I am nothing, something
approached, named, and sublimated.
I've thought of names for you--
several, in fact--but without a name,
you become a pair of taillights fizzling just beyond 8th Avenue,
and I remain forever in your past,
which, of the three available options,
is my first and only choice.
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The Doppler Effect, for instance. You have no idea
how it works, and neither do I, but I'm sure we both
can appreciate the way it splits
words into two clean syllables--
the fag from got, the it from fag.
I like to think of myself as a hyphen.
And as for what you think, well ...
There's only so much I can learn
from these kinds of conversations.
Maybe to you I'm a pinata--gaily colored, filled with sugar,
battered open by blindfolded children.
Maybe in your life's game of Tag,
I am, perpetually, It.
Or maybe after all, I am nothing, something
approached, named, and sublimated.
I've thought of names for you--
several, in fact--but without a name,
you become a pair of taillights fizzling just beyond 8th Avenue,
and I remain forever in your past,
which, of the three available options,
is my first and only choice.
Did you like this?
vote
(63 people liked this writing)
reviews of this writing
chapter 1 review
Michael
said:
"
Very Nice . . Very Poignant.
I liked it.
It is funny to me,
having never before, in the spring and summer
of my life,...more "
I liked it.
It is funny to me,
having never before, in the spring and summer
of my life,...more "
chapter 1 review
Frank
said:
"
"There's only so much I can learn
from these kinds of conversations."
I think you learned a lot! Bravo! "
from these kinds of conversations."
I think you learned a lot! Bravo! "
chapter 1 review
Emily
said:
"
this is excellent!!! i love the line about being perpetually it in his game of tag. wonderful, wonderful.
"
chapter 1 review
Cathy
said:
"
Nice line breaks, especially in the first few stanzas. I really enjoyed this. Thank you for posting.
"
chapter 1 review
Bella
said:
"
Really good job.
I loved it, because there was nothing cliche, and I can tell you really put a lot of effort into it, but it seems effortless...more "
I loved it, because there was nothing cliche, and I can tell you really put a lot of effort into it, but it seems effortless...more "
chapter 1 review
Lynnie
said:
"
"liked it" isn't strong enough--I think you have a fabulous poetic voice. The structure of this poem--short stanza, break, short stanza, br...more
"
chapter 1 review
Blanca
said:
"
I like it, very much. The voice is good, and the title gives it away. Though within the lines the subject seems somewhat vague and blunt, so try to ad...more
"
chapter 1 review
Sally
said:
"
There is so little poetry about being gay (in the mainstream) so the poem fills a void. The voice is unique, the poem well-crafted, and his use of im...more
"
chapter 1 review
Bobbie
said:
"
....Maybe to you I'm a pinata--gaily colored, filled with sugar,
battered open by blindfolded children.
Maybe in your life's game of Tag,...more "
battered open by blindfolded children.
Maybe in your life's game of Tag,...more "
chapter 1 review
Skyclad Savannah
said:
"
I love this so much! It's exactly what I've been trying to write for... months. lol. Every gay person knows exactly what you mean. I loved the "M...more
"
