Because I’m Not Gay

Because I am not gay
I have no fashion sense:
I’ll wear white after Labor Day,
Bermuda shorts, and socks
with my Birkenstocks.
Because I am not gay
you won't find me on the dance floor;
I ain't got no booty,
and I don't know how to shake it.
If I have to dance,
I'll do the white man's overbite.
Because I am not gay
I’ll never love like a woman
or weep like the angels.
I won’t fully appreciate Edith Piaf,
Judy, or Babs, and maybe not
even Taylor Swift.
Because I am not gay
I’ll never know a woman
as a friend.
I’ll never look her in her eyes,
and not her bosom.
I’ll never embrace a man
whole-heartedly.
I’ll never be banned from the bookstores,
the library, the church, or the bar.
Because I am not gay
I won’t know the aroma of the pyre,
but I think I can smell the embers.