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Red, White, Blue, and Yellow by Kimberly Burnham

Winner of the 2013 SAGE USA LGBT Story Contest

http://sageusa.org/programs/sagestory-contest.cfm

Many things are frightening

on a Cross USA bicycle ride

a truck may come within inches

seeming for a moment not to see me

or a car that doesn't want to share

the road full of cracks and pot holes

visibility equals life

so does vigilance

Awareness and attention keep me alive

on this journey

even so I am scraped up from a fall

my attention lapsed

as I crossed a railroad track.

my concentration, my focus on the journey

may wander from time to time

but me, I am not hard to see

in my red, white, and blue Hazon jersey

mile after mile from Seattle to Washington, DC

People can see who I am

and I wonder about discrimination

our "People of the Bike" jerseys

clearly marking us as Jews

we ride through rural America,

where white church steeples dot the landscape

conservative Christian billboards scream messages

then across the Mississippi

into the diversity of the densely populated East.

Completely white my hair peaks out

from under my bicycle helmet

I wondered if I might die

before my 56th birthday in Minnesota

at the half way mark across America.

looking at me anyone can see

the years of experience before this ride

Experiences in communities,

in the world,

in America teach me

how to create a sense of safety

to live passionately

find community

visibility equals life

waves of emotion

as my attention flows to those around me

finding the common ground

sharing the road along the way

My bicycle marked with symbols

my choice, a rainbow flag

a blue square with parallel yellow rectangles

the equality sign of the Human Rights Campaign

I am riding out in rural America

Okay, I'll give you I am a little scared

it's a little daunting to think

I might be the target of hate

but proud of my choices

and this country in which

I can choose whom to love

and wear a giant yellow and blue equals sign

on my back knowing

some people will recognize

I am a lesbian

The ones that don't know

the symbols on my sleeve

though not part of my community

my chosen family

still they are welcome to join me

on the crossing as I look

for how we can connect

and be seen together because

visibility equals life.

SAGE Story is a national digital storytelling program for lesbian,

gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. The purpose

of the program is to strengthen the storytelling skills—and draw

on the unique life experiences of—LGBT elders to diversify the

public narratives on aging, long-term care and LGBT rights.

SAGE Story offers skill-building workshops in New York City,

maintains an online story booth for digital submissions, and

partners with storytelling experts and policy-based

organizations to bring these stories into public conversation.

SAGE Story is led by Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders

(SAGE), and is made possible through the generous support of

the AARP Foundation and The Ford Foundation.