bloodline

i blush
unlike any man
in my family.

because of this
my ma
doubts my sex.

once, she asked
how i did it.

maybe she wanted
allowance to be
disgusted.
evidence
of body crime.

to fear
the unknown &
uncommon
is common.

someone named
it survival.

what squats beyond
the yellow pond
of firelight
surely is death
or death-bringing.

how righteous
you feel when
you draw lantern up
& there is the thing
that the man-mouth
has named monster.

the thing changes
like every good
virus.
through history,
perversion is cultural,
contextual.

what i do
with my blood
is blush
like a woman.

what this means
is very little.

---

silas denver melvin (he/him) is a trans masc poet from southern New Hampshire. his debut collection, grit, was released in 2020 with Sunday Mornings at the River. he has been published with Doghouse Press, Toyon Literary, WACK, SCAB, Visio, Beaver Magazine, & other outlets. he can be found on instagram @sweatermuppet3.0 and on Twitter + Tumblr @sweatermuppet.