stealing the rainbow

A poem by Eliana Horning

Written by Eliana Horning

Edited by Kendall Wack

Artwork by Megan May Walsh

maybe they are right about us.

the rainbow was god’s promise first—

a promise not to destroy again, a promise to allow

the continuation of the creatures he molded—

before it was our promise to each other,

our promise to continue and to listen and to love.

maybe we did steal it, the trailblazers who came before,

covering themselves in garments of black and creeping

into the place of worship that was lit by this oath,

hoarded for the believers alone, to take

a palmful of light, a handful of color,

just enough to wrap themselves in

and shine on those who came after.

maybe that is why the churchgoers have been drained;

their warmth turned to icy indifference

and turned on us, the thieves of the rainbow.

they tell us that we have eaten away at the foundation

of society, that our sins will rot the pristine

beams that hold up the roof of their sanctuary.

maybe we are too proud.

“pride goeth before a fall,” they tell us

“and you have a lot of pride.”

how do we get them to understand

that they are the ones that pushed us down?

how do we tell them that being proud

is the only thing that has guaranteed our survival?

how do we make them see

that there is more than enough rainbow to go around?

how do we tell them the beams

have always been rotten?

Eliana Horning is a second semester senior at SUNY Oswego in Upstate New York majoring in Creative Writing and English. After graduation, they hope to pursue their master's in Library Sciences.