on watching television with mom

Nice day today,

a little on the muggy side,

went shopping,

walked down Ste-Catherine,

many people about,

the last day,

of a long weekend.

Usually,

if I go downtown,

on a Monday,

it’s quiet,

workers at lunchtime,

and, tourists,

always,

but, still,

quiet,

I don’t like crowds,

but,

today,

I didn’t mind,

it was nice,

a general,

genuine,

good mood.

Came home,

mom was trying to,

decide what to have,

for dinner,

she wasn’t sure,

I’d be home,

she was looking tired,

her hip,

was bothering her,

damp and muggy,

does that.

I usually make dinner,

on Mondays,

I’m off.

Mom always cooks,

or prepares vegetables,

when cooking,

for both of us,

worries about my health:-) Nothing wrong with my health!!

but,

if she cooks,

for herself,

she makes,

Kraft dinner,

or some such,

crap.

So, she’s sitting,

at the kitchen table,

watching me cook,

and doing her crossword puzzle,

she rocks crossword puzzles, in both French and English, pretty impressive:-)

and says,

“the Habs aren’t playing tonight, you know”

Of course,

I know,

so I ask her what’s on,

she says,

“American Experience is showing something called, Stonewall, do you know what that’s about?”

I take a deep breath,

and I say,

“yeah, I do, do you?”

“It seems important in gay history”

she says,

“well mom, it’s so important,

there is before Stonewall,

and after,

Stonewall.”

Mom looks at me and says,

“Oh, I guess I should watch it then”,

I smiled,

she makes me nuts, and, she makes me smile, I’m pretty sure, it’s reciprocal- family.

And so,

we watched it together.

It was an excellent documentary,

I learned a few things,

I suspect mom,

did as well,

when it was over,

she kissed me goodnight,

and said,

“I didn’t know the police did such things, they were just drinking and dancing, what’s wrong with that? Goodnight sweetie”

She went to bed,

and,

I started thinking.

My mom knows,

quite a bit about,

gay history,

she’s read,

And The Band Played On,

and the bigottry disturbed her,

she read,

The Mayor Of Castro Street,

and watched,

Milk,

the hatred and senseless waste,

disturbed her,

she watched,

The Celluloid Closet,

and giggled,

when Susan Sarandon said,

“You wouldn’t need to be drunk, to want to bed Caherine Deneuve.”

And yet,

she didn’t know what,

Stonewall was,

now she does,

and millions of Americans,

and Canadians,

we watch PBS as well:-)

do.

I’m glad,

it’s important,

it’s the night,

the queers,

the dykes,

the faggots,

and,

the drag queens,

fought back,

it was time,

it was about time.

My mom is not a member of PFLAG,

or anything like that,

I doubt she knows what it is, she doesn’t need to

she just loves her daughter,

and her fellow man.

I’m proud of her,

and lucky.

In the parental lottery,

I got the jackpot,

unconditional love,

by a stand up,

woman.

Hopefully tonight,

a few other,

stand up,

men and women,

learned a thing or,

two,

about oppression,

and,

rebellion.

Later girls,

BB