I Deserve a Softer Place

People say I’m brave and strong,
They say I’ve faced the fight so long,
But is this really what I need—
To carry burdens, to succeed?

I deserved a softer place,
A gentle hand, a warm embrace.
Why should I bear this weight alone,
When love and kindness should have grown?

Being queer’s no grand disguise,
No hero's path, no noble prize.
It’s just a part of who I am,
Not strange, not wrong, no master plan.

Let me be without the strife,
Not hardened by this walk of life.
I seek not strength from all my scars,
Just peace, acceptance where we are.

I shouldn’t need to stand so tall,
Just because I am at all.
Why must my strength be tied to this,
When all I crave is peaceful bliss?

Being queer shouldn’t make me fight,
It shouldn’t mean I earn the right
To love myself through grit and pain—
I shouldn't need to prove again.

I shouldn’t need to be so tough,
Being who I am’s enough.
Strength should come from love, not fear—
Just because I'm queer.