Community Anthologies: 2024, On Queer Family
Cowan, Danielle
By Danielle Cowan

she/they

A Tribute to Target Pride Merch

Poetry

“No hables con her sobre this subject / Porque part of me is scared to complicate / Our memories compartimo”

That primero Junio el anticipation arivio

en un Target box between

the bodysuit con todo los colores queer

buttoning beneath my popo like a harness

And denim panties passing as shorts

with pequeno flagcitos

Sewn encima de los outer seams

They never made it past mi cuarto cuz

Nuestros hangovers needed hugging away with mangu

And un bano full of Fabuloso

Already fucked up my blowout.

Bebe promiter

Todas estan limpia

Because back then we had a bathtub

Big y profundo 

For Caribbean handwashing and stain removal santeria.

Anyway… recibio un bendicion from

Un blanquito sobre Tinder.

He who ain’t attempt one damn dunk but didn’t stay out basketball shorts

Dice that he was surprised porque

didn’t think

El fit I described would deserve

Being called classy

Claro que si nena en that segundo I saw

That I would never share how I spent mi novena

Summer de noches

Mirando MTV

And making machismo out of socks in my stretchy FrootOfTheLoom panties

Verdad fue mi novio

Por almost un ano

But aveces no necesito

Un afterglow analysis

Because a first flora

Of esta feeling cuando estoy

En mi fucking element

Was handed down while

Jugando el husband

During the horas de telenovelas tu tia y yo

Llamar live games.

No hables con her sobre this subject

Porque part of me is scared to complicate

Our memories compartimos

Pero un otro parte

Is proud of her and devoted to any diosa

That drove to descubrir la feminista

Dentro de ella

because her father didn’t want

My tia telling

What a pride flag was.

Amorcita ahora we finesse

Femme so hard

Got white grandmas pumped and down to digress

Bebe you might not believe me but soy serio

And my woke white viejas bless

Ella jacked my just-bought from target Pride tube top and skirt said was

Un Missoni dress

Yo puedo play up femme AF

Fly enough you forget

Todo two weeks

I take a blade to my beard

Exactly as mis mamas y brujas muy legante

Ensename.

Mija

never believe them

Holding you from el poder

Del hoops

Hoping you’ll heal out of them if they’re

For el ghetto y las Fulanitas

Esta joyas de una heroina

Duro metal destined to be

Drippy wrapped in rainbow fabric

Encircled todas las memorias

Made of honey

Y dame el derecho

To decide con el logico

Lore leaves en el mielda de masculinidad

Posts poking into mi mano

While el otro extracted

Un tampon so I could treat

Tristisa sin toxic shock

Cuando los light caresses

I consented to loss concern and came

Out as unabsolvable fucking

Fue lento to let happen

Con el casi amor

I could finally make it to pride with 

In place of la mujer

I manifested


Edited by Isaiah Yonah Back-Gaal.
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