The Closet has a Soundtrack

The closet has a soundtrack still,

a song you hear when all is still.

A whispered beat beneath the floor,

a humming tune behind the door.

It starts so soft, a steady thrum,

like distant drums or someone’s hum.

A lullaby that feels like fear,

a voice you fake when someone’s near.

The shelves are lined with folded lies,

with dreams you tuck in smaller size.

A sequin vest behind old coats,

silent names I dare not quote.

Each hanger holds a little weight,

each silence shapes the tunes of fate.

But somewhere in that stifled sound,

a melody is breaking ground.

At night, I’d press my earbuds tight,

and whisper secrets to the night.

“I think I might…” then choke it back,

afraid of slipping off the track.

But songs don’t wait, they swell and grow,

they rise in pitch, they start to show.

With every beat, a bolder part

would drum its rhythm through my heart.

A chorus came, not kind, but loud.

It shook my bones and drew a crowd.

Some ran in fear, but some drew near,

and said, “Your voice belongs out here.”

Coming out was never clean,

no perfect scene, no in-between.

It cracked and popped and sometimes stung,

but still, I let the verses run.

It’s not one song, it’s mixtape style,

with tears and glitter every mile.

From whispered fears in darkened rooms

to rainbow lights and prideful blooms.

Now rhythm sparks beneath my feet,

a pulse that pulls me to the beat.

With velvet chords and siren choirs,

I climb the notes and rise through fires.

I used to sing behind a door,

but now I shout, and ask for more.

In denim skirts or leather boots,

in femme or masc or disco suits.

This body’s mine, from head to toe.

This heart beats out in full techno.

I dance in storms, I strut in sun.

The soundtrack plays my fears undone.

The closet’s song once held me tight,

a minor key without the light,

but now it’s just the first refrain,

joy shone bright despite the pain.

So turn it up. Let voices blend.

This is our music without end.

Our lives are songs both brave and true.

This Pride I sing with skies in view.