“They Were Already There” by Renato Gandia
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “They Were Already There” by Renato Gandia.
They Were Already There
By Renato Gandia
Before the route
before permission
they were already there
shoulder into light
wrist scattering glitter
a voice louder than the room
sequinsโ
not decoration
but refusal
to be seen was danger
they stepped forward
now the language returns
not here
not like this
not where children might see
as if we were not
those children
learning ourselves
from the ones
who would not dim
the same light
catching
breaking
refusing a body
what they opened
was not a stage
it was a path
we walked it
thinking it was ours
it was always theirs
stitched
bright
holding
Copyright ยฉ Renato Gandia
Renato Gandia is an author whose work explores belonging, migration, faith, memory, and queer identity. He won the 2026 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers in Poetry. His debut poetry collection, Eating Rice, On Our Feet, is being published by Frontenac House in spring 2027 followed by his debut memoir, Unpriesting, from Freehand Books in fall 2027. He lives with his husband in Calgary.
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