Ew

“Ew, you’re gross”
Is what my little brother said,
The day I held a worm to my mouth
And pretended to eat it

“Ew, he’s gross”
Is what my first grade best friend said,
When I told her I had a crush
On the shy quiet boy that sat behind her in class

“Ew, that’s nasty”
Is what one my middle school best “friends” said,
The one time I told her
I thought that I might like girls

“Ew, that’s wrong”
Is what my little sister said,
The day that I casually stated
That I had dated a girl before

“Ew, that’s disgusting”
Is what my mother said
That day that she noticed
That the boy I loved was giving me hickeys

“Ew, that’s weird”
Is what my father said,
When I came out to my parents
As pansexual and gender queer

“Ew, I’m gross”
Is what I said (in a good way),
On the days that I remembered
Pretending to eat that worm

“Ew, he’s gross”
Is what I said,
When I found out what a dick
That shy quiet boy had become

“Ew, that’s nasty”
Is what I said,
When I found out that that one ex-best friend
Was picketing a gay man’s funeral with her family

“Ew, that’s wrong”
Is what I said,
In response to my little sister
Before I politely explained why she was wrong

“Ew, that’s disgusting”
Is what I said,
To my mother the next morning
After she and my step dad forgot to shut the door the night before

“Ew, that’s weird”
Is what I said,
Once I realized that a man, so sexist and prude
Could raise a child who could be so open about who they are
And who love