Happy Pride 2023!

While we're on the topic of poetry, let's talk about Sappho. She was an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos, born around 610 - 630 BCE and believed to have lived until around 570 BCE. She is best known for her lyric-like poetry, and even people like Plato considered her the 10th Muse.

Sappho's work primarily celebrated the beauty of women and explored female relationships, leading to her association with lesbianism. here is some of my favourites out of her surviving material:

I

And when you are gone there will be no memory
Of you and no regret. For you do not share
The Pierian roses, but unseen in the house of Hades
You will stray, breathed out, among the ghostly dead.

II

The Muses have filled my life
With delight.
And when I die I shall not be forgotten.

lll

And I say to you someone will remember us
In time to come…

lV

Here now the delicate Graces
And the Muses with beautiful hair…

V

It’s not right, lament in the Muses’ house…
…that for us is not fitting…

Vl

Here now, again, Muses, leaving the golden…

Vll

Surpassing, like the singer of Lesbos, those elsewhere…

How you view this is up to you. Many find it expresses validity in same-sex love "And I say to you, someone will remember us In time to come.." this resonates deeply with many LGBTQ+ relationships who have historically been hidden and excluded from mainstream. There is a feeling of reassurance that they will be remembered in a time where they are not erased, even if they will not be here to see it.

The verse specifically "It's not right, lament in the Muses' house, that for us is not fitting" suggests that there is something about the current situation or circumstances that does not align with what is considered appropriate or suitable and only through artistic means can they express their frustration. Or you can read it as one telling another that it is not fitting for them to lament, as lamenting is the anthesis of loving.

In the face of societal norms and prejudices, LGBTQ+ individuals often find solace and empowerment in Sappho's verses. The poem suggests that the love depicted within it transcends the confines of a specific era, beckoning a time when love in all its forms will be celebrated and accepted. So, even as a poem about mortality, it resonates hope and visibility.

If anyone else has poems they want to share created by LGBTQ+ feel free to post and what you like about them :)

Love it! One of the most creative ones I've seen so far

Happy pride month everyone !

Couldn't help but imagine this when you wrote that

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