By Nani Sidney-Keith
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Use of the word dyke,
There’s holiness in the in-between. I find myself there often, in glimpses of mirrors and snatches of conversations. There’s religion in the way my hips curve, in the flatness of my chest, or the soft swell of my mouth. I stand naked, hands roaming, eyes guiding, and I find divinity.
You find it, too, I bet. I know you do. I feel it in the way your teeth caress my jaw, my shoulder, my thighs. I recognize reverence in how your fingers trail up and down and up again. You touch me with care, kneeling at the edge of my altar and washing my feet.
Be careful, lover. There is holiness here.
You hear it in the cadence of my words. You see it in the rise of my cheeks, in the hollowness of my anger, in the sweetness of my praise.
You call me beautiful in all my hair, in the way it’s everywhere. You look at my muscles, at my manliness, and say I’m pretty.
You say I’m handsome in my short, short skirt and sparkling red eyes.
And isn’t it all true? Am I not heavenly in all the encompassing attraction I carry? Am I not both husband and wife in my strength and compassion?
Boydyke. Adjective. Someone who looked into their queerness and found God staring back.
Nani (he/they) is a queer neurodivergent punk writer and artist from Philadelphia. Influenced by love in all its forms, he draws ideas from the varying facets of his identity. Nani wants to add more queer Black media that decenters trauma. He strives to be genuine in all he creates. All around, he’s just a fun dude who listens to music and writes about lesbians. Nani is set to graduate with a BFA in animation this Spring. You can find him on Instagram at @honeeboi and Twitter at @honeeboi.twt.
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