you will, at times
find yourself in defiance 
accidental or no
of grand celestial plans

regimes will rise to meet you 
vast empires of ruin
will array themselves 
against you

all because you had the nerve 
the absolute fucking gall
to exist where you might 
be seen

do not, under any circumstances
seek to return yourself 
to the false safety
of despair

instead
know that there are meadows 
waiting for us
that smell of apples and wildflowers

and soon, us
captured as we are by wanting 
like fireflies in the night
in the hands of the wonder-struck

---

Bridget Gordon (she/her, fae/faer) is a queer trans woman and emerging poet based in Chicago. A former MFA candidate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she tried faer hand at sports journalism before settling into short-form writing about queer longing, identity, and liminality. Fae lives with her husband, metamour, cats, and a growing TBR pile.