Simone Says​...

A salute to Jasmine Gardosi’s “Raise Your Hand” and spit at Rudyard Kipling’s “If.”​

            If you’ve ever left a table
where love was no longer served,
Simone says,
            “Drink your coffee black with cream.”

If you’ve ever been outed without consent,
Colquhoun says,
            “Gift your violets.” 

If you’ve ever cracked your code
to compute sense of self,
Turing says,
            “Screen your sex.”

If you’ve ever broken your arm
and your diagnosis was, 
“A gay broken arm,” or,
“A trans broken arm,” or,
an, “Oh, my neighbour’s cousin’s ex-best-stepson’s non-binary too!” broken arm,
Hart says,
            “Limp your wrist.” 

If you’ve ever spoken on stage
to prove your presence
with an absence of proof, 
Nasim says,
            “Snap your fingers.” 

If you’ve ever birthed new words 
to language your life and
to die on your terms,
Basquiat says,
            “Slam your dictionary.”

If you’ve ever worn eroticism on your sleeve 
and danced wildly with fruits,
Baker says,
            ​“Stamp for yourself.” 

If you’ve ever wondered about 
all those years spent wandering cishet wastelands,
Milk says,
            “Stamp for your community.”

If you’ve ever had a lover
be read as a more palatable sibling or,
“Just a good friend”,
Dickinson says,
            “Lick your envelope.”

If you’ve ever had to educate yourself
            about yourself
to educate others
            about yourself
when what you want is to
            be yourself,
Roche says,
            “Wipe your board.” 

If you’ve ever had to educate yourself
            about your health
to educate others
            about your health
when what you want is to
            be fine and well,
Reverend Macaulay says,
            “Read your pulse.” 

If you’ve ever felt unsafe to be you
on streets,
in tweets,
with priests,
with police, 
Johnson says,
            “Count 1312.”

If you’ve ever tasted shame,
revulsion, or
portions of nausea, 
for
            s  a  v  o  u  r  i  n  g
                        pleasure,
                                    Divine says,
                                    “Lick your fingers.”

If your thoughts, heart, or palms have ever been crossed with cash 
when it turns out you were just a
cheap curiosity
after all, 
Xtravaganza says,
            “Pat your pocket…
                        Then hold your throat.”

If you’ve ever felt too much 
yet not enough, 
too queer,
yet not queer enough, 
Kahlo says,
            “Paint the air.” 

If you’ve ever felt pride for
who you’ve been,
who you are,
and who you could be
in striped rectangular fabric, 
Baker says,
            “Raise your flag.”

If you’ve ever left a table
where love was no longer served,
Simone says,
            ​“Drink your coffee black with cream.”

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ASH BAINBRIDGE
is a trans polyamorous parent and student midwife in Worcester, UK. Their work celebrates these marginalized identities via the physiological and topical. Ash is a mentored poet with The Word Association and has poems published by The Mum Poem Press, Bite Poetry Press, Spoonie Press, and Bleeding Thunder.

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