I’m one of those old queers who loves
Judy Garland. I’ve watched
The Wizard of Oz at least forty times.
I don’t buy “There’s no place like home.”
Miss Gulch could easily nab Toto again.
Home for many queers is lethal,
no place like freedom from it.
Yet I love working in the garden
of our home. Flowers
need no tight shoes. The ending
of Meet Me in St. Louis makes me cry,
Judy singing “Have Yourself A Merry
Little Christmas” in an unmerry time.
Or on her TV show,
canceled after one season,
Judy, Barbra, and The Merm
sing together. America preferred
Ben Cartwright and dust. I wish
her life had been happier.
Mine too. Everyone’s.
This beautiful night pops with stars.
All that light!
And so distant.
Kenneth Pobo (he/his) is the author of twenty-one chapbooks and nine full-length collections. Recent books include Bend of Quiet (Blue Light Press), Loplop in a Red City (Circling Rivers), and Uneven Steven (Assure Press). Opening is forthcoming from Rectos Y Versos Editions. Lavender Fire, Lavender Rose is forthcoming from Brick/House Books.