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Love Poems

Love Poems

A Queer Valentine

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Leo Herrera
Feb 12, 2025
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Love Poems
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Queer love can still feel new and impossible.

Most of us didn’t grow up with relationship examples or high school sweethearts. Public affection was dangerous, and the AIDS crisis pushed monogamy for survival. Our few storylines were written with straight agendas.

So we try to fit Queer romance into ancient hetero playbooks. We obsess over what sex or relationships are “supposed” to be, comparing ourselves to others even though we’re all learning. We feel defeated when we’re left with only questions.

Our romance is improvisation. Freedom to redefine entire love languages. There’s no shame in embracing that we make it up as we go along.

We are how love poems are written.

-page 96, POST, my debut book of poems and essays.

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