Dark Cathedral

Pride Month, June 2021

I

I dreamt that I was being held
rather than holding
and that was the source of my shame

I dreamt that I was conquered
as opposed to conquering
and that was the mud on my name

II

the transparent
and brittle heart
of my soul or whatever it is
that makes a person whole
was flooded with light in my dreams
a diamond cathedral’s
thrones and altarpiece
lit up like the space revealed
when heaven’s door opens
while hovering in outer dark

but I could not be proud of it
and crossed with tarpaulin
the many-faceted ceiling
and blocked the very nave
so that it couldn’t be accessed
nor seen

III

what you have is not
a closet
but

a cathedral