Like a Love Story

by Abdi Nazemian

You are not alone and never will be, because you have a beautiful, constantly evolving history full of ghosts who are watching over you, who are proud of you. If you ever feel lonely, just look up at the sky. José and Walt and Judy Garland and Marsha P. Johnson are always with you, and so many more. Just ask them to listen, and they will. Tell your story until it becomes woven into the fabric of our story. Write about the joys and the pain and every event and every artist who inspires you to dream. Tell your story, because if you don’t, it could be wiped out. No one tells our stories for us. And one more thing. If you see an elderly person walking down the street, or across from you at a coffee shop, don’t look away from them, don’t dismiss them, and don’t just ask them how they’re doing. Ask them where they have been instead. And then listen. Because there’s no future without a past.