This My Confession

     I want to write a poem

For derelicts dying in our streets.
For homosexuals dying of AIDS, and
for homophobes dying in ignorance.

For captives—­­both young and old—
still trapped in the oldest profession
and voiceless illegals seeking a better life.

Something in me has changed, as
those I once hated, have broken my heart.
Now, I’m the coward in the closet, hiding in the dark.

- Cameron Dockery