peter   one of colin's friends 

from school

tells us the story of his very unintentional coming out

it was middle school   peter begins

seventh grade   

during gym class   mister hoops

great name for a gym teacher   right   has us

playing baseball   

i was a pretty boy   a downy-cheeked 

effeminate sissy that lived for project runway

who loved sports

about as much as colin loves disco and elton john    

we're playing this game   the rest of the boys

are having a ball   

so to speak   i'm standing there   mitt on my hand

having no more sense of what do with it 

than fly   

when here comes a grounder   i think that's what they call it   

i basically panicked   i'm not sure i didn't squeal   

and say   eek!     

at that moment it all came out   all my fear and frustration  

i threw down my mitt   i stomped my pretty little foot   and said   

in all honesty   

with all the temerity i could muster

I WISH I WAS A GIRL!

and you know what   i was stating the obvious

no one cared

no one said a word   i picked up the mitt and the game went on   

and the next time a grounder came my way   

i caught it   and in my inept way   

throwing like a girl   i threw the little bastard out   the chubby   

slow-pokey kid who had about as much business

on the diamond as i  

and then and there i had a seventh-grade epiphany   

at this age we're all easy targets   we've all got our cross to bear   

we're all too chubby or thin   

or dark or fair   or bookish or dolts   or queer as hell 

we're all just trying to get through the day

even the cool kids

and colin raises his glass   and here   under a gorgeous   blue-sky   

california day   at the vineyard   on the patio   he proposes a toast   

to peter   to queer as hell 

to just trying to get through the day   cheers   salut   l'chaim

`