by B.D. Wong
BD Wong's contribution to the coming-out anthology of stories, When I Knew, was a biography put into verse. Do to an editorial error, the published version was incomplete. This is the full version ...
This is the Ballad of Baby B
Checking out boys by the time he was three
Something was up from way far back as then
Now oddly enough, Baby's into men!
Come out, come out, whoever you are
Come out, politician, or big Broadway star!
Come out to your parish! Shoemaker to elf!
Am I going too fast? Just come out to yourself!
Baby B (D) was Bay Area born
(Yes, home to the Palace of Fine Arts, and porn)
Frisco had Chinatown, Castro and Bradley
Between these he grew up both sadly and gladly
Come out, come out, wherever you be!
Come clean in Kentucky! Come march in DC!
Come up in a lilac Canaveral Cape!
Come down in a hot Houston mineshaft, you ape!
Way back of the library, hidden (at nine)
Our hero sat reading; day, night, rain or shine
Anatomy books, color plates of Rodin:
Hynotically struck by each image of man
Even though he was wee, he could tell from those books
That he yearned for the dudes with great bodies and looks
Even pre-adolescent, watching this man or that man
(he easily got off watching Robin and Batman)
Come out, come out, wherever you've been!
Be you master of dungeon! Be you new to the scene!
Life passes us by, life's end can be bitter
If you fail to heed my advice, and consider:
Come out, come out, however you please!
If gay indeed he's,
Then the day he must seize!
No one is exempt! Not a queen bee or peasant!
No more waiting! No waffling! No time like the present!
He waited two decades until he decided
To spill to his parents, his conscience divided
The answer came calling, in form of a beau
To help him say, Mom, here's what I have to show!
This guy that he loved, made it seem kind of right
Softened the blow (God forbid they should fight)
Mother was worried, but father was not
(He said, Just as long as you love him, so what?)
As years tumbled by, the pair had a child:
Saw many a setback (and papers were filed)
One wonderful night, like a gay flag unfurled,
Two guys (with two gals) brought new life to this world!
So, bursting with pride, BD - A/K/A Brad -
Proclaimed to the world how he now was a Dad
Writes a book (a self-portrait of Pop-hood, he draws it);
And feeling no pain, out he comes from the closet!
Come out, come out, it's just swell, take a look!
(You don't even much need to have written a book!)
Stand up! Put your hand up! Upset someone dear!
It will all be okay, there is nothing to fear!
Fast forward the tape, life is furious and funny
How things will turn out you can't guess, or bet money
Just go where life takes you, no matter the season
Remember that all things occur for a reason
To say it succinctly, B.D. made some choices
A parting of ways, a finding of voices
Life's grateful, God-awful, god-bless-ed and gambl-y
But with that swell guy, he's re-structured their family
And that, in a nutshell, is just about it
Since he said this is me how his candle has lit!
With nods of respect to his son's other Dad:
Though not what they hoped, life's far from so bad
Come out, come out, you son of a bitch!
Don't think about whether you catch, or you pitch!
Just do the right thing and cross over the line!
Let me tell you, I know that the water is fine!
This was the Ballad of Baby B
Wasn't quite right till he said, this is me
All of his life, never felt he was winning
But now it seems life is just barely beginning.
Printed with kind permission of B.D. Wong