Stereotypical Thinking – A Poem

Someone once said to me

“You’re a walking stereotype.”

I was perplexed

and asked him what he meant.

He laughed.

“Hmmm,

let’s think,”

I could picture him putting

a fingers to his chin

in mockery.

“You’re a

survivor of abuse,

you are disabled

and

your

gay.”

He actually laughed.

“If that isn’t a stereotype,

I don’t know what is.”

It took days for that

conversation to

hit

me

hard.

I called him and he picked up

on the third ring.

“You’re a fucking

stereotype.”

I said.

He laughed again

and said “Oh, is that

so?”

I didn’t know how

to respond to him

and finally said

“Yeah.”

I thought about explaining

to him about

stereotypical thinking,

but thought that

the idea would be

lost on him.

Instead,

I merely

hung

up

the

phone.