The Hateful Never Smile
Ten to twelve at most
She’s small, shy
Smiling together with her mom
It is easy to feel awful
For all appearances, the world is a raging hell
No handbasket, the marginalized are already there
We bought the next day air shipping
But she is hopeful and bright
Can I ask you a question, she asks
Anxiety and fear, but only a flash
Her and her mom are smiling
The hateful never smile
What do my flags and pins mean?
Nonbinary, genderqueer, agender
She smiles, she is happy
The hateful never smile
She tells me that she is trans too
The hateful never smile
Anger, hate, fear
The hateful never smile
A revelation, water in a wasteland
The hateful never smile
Take a moment to think about it
The hateful never smile
Too caught up in hate, anger, fear
The hateful never smile
The hateful never smile
But my allies and friends smile
When we love, we smile
When we play, smile
When we resist, smile
Giddy and nervous, smile
Facing danger together, smile
She is young, bright, hopeful
Smiling future
Beckoning us forward
Fighting so those after us
Can smile
Because as I’ve learned
The hateful never smile
Image Description: A black and white image of a vaulted wood roof. There are intricate butresses made of lighter and darker wood that form criss-crossed latices. There are five of them total, with the one at the top of the image being almost directly overhead.