From Your MAMMA 09 June 2009

On the Anniversary

October 12

By Kate Harding

A Wyoming twilight. Nine years ago.
A cyclist saw a scarecrow tied to a wooden
split rail fence. Not a scarecrow. Matthew Shepard.
Bruised. Beaten. His skull crushed. Left to die.
His blood-caked face washed by tears.

On this anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death,
I try to read, sip tea, count my valley’s few stars.
No sleep. My son Danny’s would be killers
could be prowling San Francisco streets tonight.

Broad shouldered football players. Thick jackets.
Tourists from the Midwest. Careful to walk
a few feet from each other. They have been drinking.
Later tonight they will have to share a hotel room
in this expensive city. A bump of an elbow,
a brush of a hand, could be misunderstood.
Mist blows in from the bay.
They tell each other it is girls they like. Girls.

They are nothing like my son,
with his pretty face and long hair.
Humming to himself, Danny is coming home
late from teaching, He wears the pink shirt
and tie we bought him. His light footsteps quicken.
Their footsteps echo his. Their beery breaths burn
the back of his neck.

©2007 Kate Harding poetmother@gmail.com

MAMMA (Middle-Aged Women for Marriage Equality) suggests sharing this poem with the people who oppose same-sex marriage, as a way to start a conversation; share it and ask them what they think about it.

And here’s another same-sex marriage conversation starter we just found:

The California Council of Churches’ Congregational Study Guide, Living Lovingly: Talking About Marriage Equality From a Faith Perspective, by Rev. Dr. Linda Pickens-Jones, has very helpful talking points, including discussion of civil rights compared to sacramental rights. MAMMA highly recommends this downloadable guide for those who want to take a loving and rational approach to a faith-based discussion. The introduction is a little dated, but the primary content makes the whole thing well worth downloading.