Wednesday 16 March 2011

Sestina Day 3.2: For KB

Kate Bornstein is probably, of all the people I feel I know, but really I've just read their books, the person I admire the most in the world.
Anyone (most people I've met) who has become embroiled with me in an argument about gender and sexuality can blame, or rather credit, Kate's work for challenging, inspiring and politicising me into the gobby, queer, poke-gender-binary-with-a-stick-and-see-what-happens feminist/heretic you see before you today.
And I'm absolutely not going to go all high pitched and swoony about the fact that she has on occasion, tweeted me. Or that today's (extra) sestina's keywords were suggested by her.
Happy belated birthday, Kate. A soppy romance from one Piscean to another.
(SQUEEEEEE! *thud*)


You took my hand and led me to the green
And purple of the moorland. It seemed endless
You said 'I come here when the world goes mad
The birds and flowers give me sanctuary'
And at the time I thought you rather silly
And wondered when on earth we'd get to fuck

I felt it was a given that we'd fuck:
Why would you bring me out into the green,
away from all the crowds and from the silly
Gossips whose insinuations endless-
Ly upset you and disturbed your sanctuary
If not to fuck? I thought you must be mad.

But still, there seemed no point in getting mad
I mean, you seemed to like me. How the fuck
Did that happen? I'd searched for sanctuary
In love before but only found the Green-
Eyed Monster, and the tears and endless
Arguments just left me feeling silly.

But then you came, and never called me silly
And what my other lovers saw as mad-
Ness, you referred to as my endless
Store of creativity. I loved to fuck.
As much as you loved walking in the green,
Wild, open spaces, seeking sanctuary

I'd never thought that you'd need sanctuary
You always seemed so calm, while I was silly
You told me that you tried to hold the green
Inside yourself to keep from going mad
When dealing with the daily awful fuck-
Ing tragedies that, sometimes, seemed so endless

I'd always tried to push away the endless
Sadness in me; not by seeking sanctuary
Instead, distraction. Dancing, drinking, fuck-
Ing till I felt carefree and silly.
But inside I was slowly going mad
Till you showed me the peace in hills of green

And when we fucked, I knew our love was endless.
Just like the green that is our sanctuary.
And being silly stops us going mad.

3 comments:

Kate Bornstein said...

Oh this is brilliant. What a lovely gift. Perfectly green, endless madness. Not at all silly. A fucking sanctuary.
Big Love
Kate

Emily Lloyd said...

Arrived via Kate's tweet. Fantastic!

Riot Kitty said...

Fabulous.