Identity Politics

Poem

Art is a powerful cultural tool. It has the ability to change society slowly over time or, on more rare occasions, overnight. Here at the Kansas Constitutional, we believe art can be used as a force to uphold freedom, American patriotism, and beauty in general. Afterall, art is one of the first things dictators throughout history would seek to alter and destroy. One of the greatest forms of art, in my humble opinion, is poetry. It is because of all these reasons I hope to inspire, encourage, and challenge my readers to be the greatest people they can be through the use of this beautiful art form.

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Identity Politics

The fact that I’m gay—means nothing—
it tells you not of me.
How dare one thinks to know my thoughts
based on “identity.”

I am not proud of this small thing—
I, likewise, feel no shame.
It is but a “queer” circumstance
that need not follow name.

How dull—a personality—
to shout with such vigor,
“Sexual orientation,
and color, and gender!”

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ABOUT THE POET: I. D. Brannan is a born and raised Kansan. He has written for the Emporia Gazette, the Branson Register, The Oakland Express, Baldwin City Living Magazine, and GE Magazine before starting The Kansas Constitutional. Brannan’s poetry has won 1st Place in the 2020 Burford Theatre Poetry Contest and the 2020 Kansas Author’s Club Literary Contest (Japanese Forms) and has placed in several other contests. His poetry has also been featured in The Best of Mile Marker Review, Whistling Shade Literary Review, Grand Little Things, WestWard Quarterly Literary Magazine, the Fib Review, the I Hate Poetry Podcast, and on merchandise in the Indie Treasure online store.