By Annette Camp
October 16, 2025
When the pastor says, "The truth will set you free,"
My chest tightens-
My chest tightens-
not from doubt,
but from knowing what freedom would cost.
As I sit alone in the pew,
I hide my secret inside.
My heart beats in Morse code:
Don't see me. Please don't see me.
I ask a God who already knows-
if love can ever be
the reason I'm cast out
of the house I've always called holy.
Each prayer feels like
walking a tightrope
over a silence that
could swallow me whole.
Noone asks who I love.
I am both home and hiding.
Half in the closet.
Half in the church.
