Cross
By Cat Brogan
I am the shaman for the ghosts of my brethren
the souls who cannot cross over, who linger
to watch over lovers they had passed off as sisters.
I am the drum, welcoming them to the threshold
to let go, to choose to be reborn in a body
that can marry, raise a family, attend an orgy.
I am the boatman ferrying queer shadows
in guided gondolas, to rest after hidden journeys,
I beat to release the shades at the docks.
Call in the North, South, East, West
launch the ancestors to new life
in Provincetown, Brighton, even Dublin.
In Malaysia, cars are boudoirs. Her mother
will never scroll our wedding photographs.
My wife will always check, when I grasp
legitimate hand holding opportunities
like crossing the road, as offerings
summoned from the flames of guides.
Cat Brogan
Cat Brogan is a queer Irish poet and performer from Omagh, now based on the Derry/Donegal border. Winner of the BBC Edinburgh Fringe Poetry Slam, she blends spoken word with activism, storytelling, and community engagement. Her work has appeared in Dedalus Press’s Local Wonders, Boshemia Magazine, The Golden Shovel Anthology, Ragaire and Ragin’. With an MA in Writer/Teacher from Goldsmiths, she has delivered workshops internationally. Her debut poetry collection The Pangs of Ulster is looking for a publisher and explores legacy, care, and queer resistance across generations and borders. Cat thrives at the intersection of the personal and political.
Photo credit: Dương Hữu
Apricot Press 