Silver and Grey   *SILVER AND GRAY*                                  *By GILDA LILY*                           It happened again today.                                We were having fun,                                Enjoying each other,                                Laughing and smiling,                                When we both heard                                The remark.                                  Benny tried hard                                To pretend like                                He didn't hear.                                He kept on talking                                About some Inuit thing,                                But I'd seen his face                                And the hurt that flitted                                Through his lovely blue eyes.                                  Why must people do this?                                Why must they hurt us?                                Have we ever done                                Anything to them?                                  Why is it so bad                                To hold each other's                                Hands as we walk down                                The street?                                Or give a quick kiss,                                Or a loving pat                                On the arm?                                Why must we hide it                                As if it's something                                To feel shame about?           Must there always be                                The gray lining                                In a silver cloud?                                Can't we just be                                Left alone?                                  Why is our love                                Considered not real                                Just because we're                                Both the same sex?                                  Why must I worry                                That despite all I've done,                                Benny would be barred                                From my side                                If I were near death                                In a hospital bed?                                  Why must I let                                The snide remarks                                Go unchallenged                                Around the table                                At a holiday meal?                                Oh, Ma's okay with us,                                And so's Frannie and                                Maria, but                                Some of the other Vecchios                                Come around and make jokes                                While watching us closely.                                  Maybe they're afraid                                We'll start making love                                In front of their                                Delicate eyes.                                  Why is it wrong                                To savor his kisses,                                His taste of sweet honey?                                Or run my hand up                                His silken-smooth thigh?                                Or want him deep inside me                                And return the favor                                With sweat-slick joy?                                  Can't we be just                                Two people in love?                           Is that so much                                To ask?          jeanniemarie@sprintmail.com Return to Due South Fiction Archive