My uncle literally tried to whip
The gay away from me
With an emblem of faith grown on russet soil
He held a palm branch
Which, with its evergreen leaves
Symbolized victory, eternal life in Catholic tenets
And peace, even peace
But it did not bring me peace
I stared at him, curious
Stunned
Silenced
As the leaves touched my body
It was not a violent act
It was far from one
But it, in a way
Wounded me
I was 15 then
I was 15 also
When he stopped my father
From further strangling me
My father shouted
“You’re a girl! Be like a girl!”
His hands on my neck
My back pushed to a wooden closet
My uncle came rushing in
And cried out my father’s name
As he tried to remind him
“She’s still your daughter!”
Those words
Brought me peace
That any other palm branch never could
Cover image by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
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