đŠ The Dragon Who Became a Peacock
The Day I Danced in the Fire
The bearded dragon lived among humans,
guarded, hushed, and watched.
He wore his scales like armor
yet they whispered âbout his walk.
He stayed in pose, avoiding suspicion.
Kept his true colors beneath a thick smock.
âBlink slow. Speak timid. So your voice doesnât shimmer.â
Yet their whispers kindled.
Their scrutiny went ablaze!
Accused
of being what heâd always knownâŠ
The pressure ignited
and instead of shrinking, the dragon strutted into the flames.
Better to burn with truth than let the spirit go dim.
As he walked through fire,
his old armor cracked.
One by one, his false selves melted,
oozing like wax.
As fate removed the veil,
he was unmasked. But seen.
That long held secret couldnât hold water anymore.
His bright feathered tail spread in full color.
From the ashes, a new creation emerged.
Ascended.
Scandalous.
Still sacred.
In that holy flame, he started to twirl.
He danced where they expected disgrace.
The peacock didnât seek praise.
He didnât need their forgiveness.
Confidence airborne.
The Sky, his witness.
Finally, he was higher than fear.
Not confined by any image.
They called it sin, but heaven said he soared.
Fear had been relinquished.
His fire, never quenched.
And now, he burns bright in the sky.
Heâs been himself ever since.
On Becoming My Brightest Self
âThe bearded dragon lived among humans⊠guarded, hushed, and watched.â
In the summer of 2020, while the world was on lockdown, I sat alone with my own truth. I wasnât reading a self help book. I didnât join a support group. I didnât even text anyone. I just sat in silence. Contemplating. And listening to the call of my heart.
I knew I was different. Queer AND Christian. This was not some new discovery. But those two realities were never allowed in the same room. Until that summer.
That was the first time I truly LET GO.
âYet they whispered âbout his walk.
He stayed in pose, avoiding suspicion.â
Even isolated, I wanted to celebrate the truth that two realities could be one. So, I updated my Facebook cover photo to a Pride flag. I was terrified, anxious, and excited at the same time.
But I didnât changed my cover photo to prove something. I updated it to honor me.
I was unfurling the feathers Iâd spent years hiding, now finally ready to strut.
Of course, the whispers came. The quiet betrayals. The rescinded invites. The sideways glances from people who once called me brother in Christ. There were murmurs and messages exchanged behind closed doors. People talked. Formed prayer circles. And people I thought were in my corner chose silence or kicked me out of Bible study.
âThe pressure ignited. And instead of shrinking, the dragon strutted into the flames.â
I waved my flag and felt like I was floating. Nah, I was flying!
Spiritually, emotionally, cosmically I had entered another layer of the atmosphere. This sacred, invisible ozone made for people who could finally stop hiding. I floated through clouds of shame.
To others, it may have looked like a fall from grace. Some would say I left the âstraight and narrowâ path. The same people who didnât listen to understand or sat with me in difficult times. Yet my wings unfolded from my spine. From my vantage point, I was airborne. I was FREE.
âAs he walked through fire,
his old armor cracked⊠That long held secret couldnât hold water anymore.â
The shells were gone. The self-protection. The silence. That church-approved dimming of my lightâŠ
It all melted away.
And what shimmered underneath was flamboyant. There wasnât a broken piece apart of me anymore. It was no infirmityâŠ
I was fully me.
âHis bright feathered tail spread in full color. From the ashes, a new creation emerged.â
The truth is I am many things. Christian. Queer. Creative. Emotional. Brave. Soft. Reserved. Playful. Powerful.
I am ten colors. Ten adventures. Ten voices. Like Ben 10, I shapeshift into ten divine super strengths. If you know, you knowâŠ
I donât need to shrink into a fragile little dragon just to please others. Ha! I can dance in the fire. I can dance in the middle of anything. And Iâm gonna do it every time.
âConfidence airborne. The Sky, his witness. Finally, he was higher than fear. Not confined by any image.â
This poem is about the person who walked through fire to find themselves. Itâs about the person who had to shed something old just to breathe something true.
Itâs a reminder that becoming isnât about other peopleâs approval. Itâs about moving forward into the fullness of who you are. With all your FEATHERS, all your FIRE, and all your FABULOUS.
The next time youâre told that your color is too much⊠whenever youâre pushed to hide your brightness⊠or held back from dancing, this is your invitation to twirl in the holy flameâŠ
Spin. Float. And soar into becoming.
Burn on, brother, burn on! Dance in the moon and the stars and the sun. Shine and shimmer, glimmer and glisten, break out and break down.