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Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2021: This Gay Club is my Church
by James McDermott
In lockdown, I was isolated from my LGBTQ scene and so I wrote this praise poem to gay bars in order to conjure them when they were closed and to explore why I love visiting them.
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2021: This Gay Club is my Church
he made me queer this gay club is my church
I come here religiously
I come for confession I come for confirmation
I come for love I come for communion
I come to praise him him her them me us
I come to worship our lady gaga
I come to sing hymns to the Madonna
I come to dance I come to bask in light
I come to cast away the devil shame
I come to kneel I come to kiss his ring
I come to take his flesh inside my mouth
I come to feel him enter me I come
to feel him inside me I come
to feel him move in mysterious ways
he made me queer this gay club is my church
Poem recorded as part of Poetry Archive Now: Wordview 2021. Used by permission of author.
A special thank you to our WordView 2021 poets.
Chair of the Judging Panel, Imtiaz Dharker, says: "An idea that began as a response to the world shutting down has, joyfully, become a way to invite the whole world in. It has been exciting to see the entries come in from different countries, from marginalised voices, from people of all backgrounds who now know this space belongs to them. My fellow judges and I were struck by the immediacy of experience and commitment to language in the winning entries. It's also good to think that the rest of the entries will continue to be seen as an invaluable record of our times."
See the collectionWatch the full Wordview 2021 playlist