Sarah Kay performs "Dreaming Boy"

[@teresaanya]

"And for right now, I'm pretty in love with you if that's okay" The cutest line in any poem ever!♡

[@Ellenordust]

+Teresa “CaliXCX” Mincks protip

[@teresaanya]

***** Protip haha

[@tomasdominguez4512]

+Teresa Mincks “CaliXCX” Great to know another person in the phandom loves Sarah!

[@teresaanya]

+tomas dominguez Yasss Phan has good taste haha

[@5591lovebabyy]

omg other phans and Sarah Kay lovers!? this is nice.

[@billybrannum1812]

"When you dance, the walls leaned in to get closer to you." That's beautiful.

[@sanjanarajan5314]

she just tackled gender in the most non-binary way, and her message is just love who makes you feel loved and love who you love no matter their gender

[@alisonl1299]

"...And for right now, I'm pretty in love with you if that's okay" "And just like that, I did not crave language I had always thought I needed." Tugging at my heartstrings here

[@cobainbride]

Haven't come across a Sarah Kay poem I didn't adore x

[@hudaxsheikh]

Special Kay xox same... she's got me dreaming all the time now. x

[@australkin]

same here pal

[@haileyzacarias752]

Same I love her

[@processesofbecoming2516]

I am a gay transgender boy, and have struggled with understanding my comfort level with femininity. And each time I listen to this poem and really anything by you, I feel safe and I feel better. So thank you.

[@raerose619]

This is kind of old and you probably forgot about this comment but think back to who you were when you made it and how far you've come.

[@processesofbecoming2516]

Ray Heinichen I had forgotten this comment, but I always remember this poem. Thank you for the kind words. It definitely takes a lot of work sometimes to be kind to ourselves, but it’s super important and always worthwhile. Be well.

[@anneblackwood9013]

I hope you are living and loving well all these years later

[@katelynhirst5576]

Thank you for approaching gender and sexuality with a sensitivity and honesty that shows the grey areas people don't really talk about. Thank you for giving those spaces representation that can be viewed, heard, and shared. Thank you.

[@aamna-b2l]

Spoke my heart

[@VedaGottumukkala1]

Hey Katelyn! I loved the poem but am finding it difficult to put some exact meaning to it. Not sure if what I'm thinking is correct. Would you mind explaining it to me?

[@idas1bp916]

Hi +Veda, poetry is always up for personal interpretation, but I personally believe that Sarah was trying to explain that gender and sexuality can be fluid for people; that some don't feel fully male/female or straight/gay and that they feel pressured into identifying strictly with one or the other.

[@VedaGottumukkala1]

Mary Gilcoine Hi Mary, that's along the lines of what I was thinking as well but wasn't sure if there was a more exact, literal meaning if that makes sense. Thank you for the response!

[@warrenfowler1466]

Dalways feel that can't seem to settle I guess I want wanna be normal but... It's Hard I think

[@joannaolisa627]

You can't just help but love Sarah Kay. The way she presents her story, you can imagine and feel what she's saying... Sarah Kay is such an amazing person.

[@poetryreadindude604]

"When you dance, the walls lean to get closer to you." This line hit me hard. Something about where it falls in the poem and she delivers it so beautifully.

[@sonjagal]

"And just like that, I did not crave language I had always thought I needed." Wow this poem; Sarah Kay has done it again!

[@DucksRock113]

In most of the dreams I remember from childhood, I am a boy. Rescuing a maiden from a tower, or not rescuing anyone in particular, but definitely a boy. For years, when the only language I had were the scraps tossed from the popular kids table, “lesbian” seemed as likely an explanation as anything. What does it mean to dream myself a gender? What does it mean to hold that secret beneath my tongue? The first time I kissed a boy, he was so tall, his lips so soft, I dreamt of the ocean for weeks, never in control of my limbs. Next to him, I seemed a convincing enough girl. At least when I was awake. At night, I was Batman. At night, a fireman. At night, a boy, with muscles in boy places, and a firm hand, and a direction to run. The first time I kissed a girl, I did not like the way our faces melted into each other. Where was the stubble? The hard jaw and cinnamon, I could not breathe through all her lilac. I dreamt of being lost in the forest, of a terrible tidal wave. If I was not a “lesbian,” what possible explanation did I have? What words could I tie around this treacherous heart, this impossible hunger, this miserable mind. The first time I saw you, someone said, “oh, he’s definitely gay”. And maybe that was a confusion I recognised. The first time we kissed, you told me to take it slow. I placed my hand against your ribcage and you moved it away. I felt like a fourteen year old trying to get a bra strap off. You spent the night anyway, and we lay next to each other breathing, my hands inches away from your boxer shorts twitching against the covers. The next morning, you made the bed and folded all of my clothes while I was at class. You learned to play the harp and sang me songs while you played. For my birthday, you baked me a triple layer cake, woke up early to ice it. I watched your shirtless torso push icing through a tube - I have never loved a body the way I loved yours in that moment. You pick flowers on your way to class, leave bouquets in every room. When you dance, the walls lean to get closer to you. When I finally asked you if you might want to date boys, I held my breath while you thought about it for a long, quiet moment. “I haven’t met one I’d like to date yet,” you said. “And for right now, I’m pretty in love with you, if that’s okay.” And just like that, I did not crave language I had always thought I needed. And just like that, somewhere a hand reached backwards into a faraway dream and said, “come on then, we’ve got a maiden to save.” I guess what I am saying is you make me feel like a boy, like the boy I have always been. At night, I climb trees and wear cargo shorts. I scale buildings and build fires. When I wake, I am curled around your back, the happiest big spoon in the drawer. You are naked and heavy breathing, the man I love. I hold your body like the gift it is, and safely sink back into dreams.

[@sinta2584]

This is so me

[@philosophicaleye5224]

Thankyou

[@KhanStopMe]

I'm awestruck. As always.

[@keshavbx]

Haha - loved the line "I felt like a 14 year old trying to get a bra strap off". Gotta love Sarah Kay

[@terribletallrus6520]

Yeah, not all guys are sluts. Some of us wanna take it slow. :3

[@charrienicolas187]

"I guess what I am saying is you make me feel like a boy, like the boy I have always been." Gotta love Sarah Kay when she speaks of things that you don't normally thought about.

[@glaireantonio4833]

I can't help but cry after watching her recite her poems... It's just genuinely beautiful and there's that wave of emotion that washes over you during and after her stage presence as she tells her story. Sarah Kay, you're great😊

[@SteelRaider17]

*"I hold your body like the gift it is, and safely, sink back into dreams."* If this isn't Art, if this isn't love, what is it?

[@idkbutiloveyousomuch77]

I am sitting here with an abundance of emotions. I have no choice but to acknowledge how the universe helps answer any questions you have about yourself. This poem is so special to me and I thank you immensely.

[@madimorelli5955]

This is so open, looking at gender and sexuality in such a fluid, beautiful way. Thank you.

[@kisia6031]

Hey could you please explain this poem to me? You seem to have understood it, I can't tell if the person she was with at the end was a girl or boy or is the whole point to be confused....?

[@tashiannacollins8019]

It seems like she ended up with a feminine boy

[@menreaper7989]

@@tashiannacollins8019 I think it was more so the point. She didn't want to find labels or answers to her sexuality or gender Identity. Things were real and that's enough

[@emilyfisher2052]

"And for right now, I'm pretty in love with you if that's okay"

[@chesneystanfield4321]

This spoken word really holds so much of my heart. I come back to it again and again just to gain a sense of peace and calm. Everytime I listen to this, I feel like you are bringing clarity and beauty to this aspect of who I am. And I feel the need for language and boxes drifting away. Thank you for your beautiful heart Sarah Kay.

[@romagnolisofiavictoria5079]

She is such an inspiration. Thank you Sarah for being so wise and witty. One of my favourite poets ever.

[@cpoterry]

This, this is speaks directly to my heart, and my heart hears it. My heart wishes this story to always be told, to always fall upon the ears that need it the most. Sarah, you are source of connection to the universe I have come to love

[@ayandameyiwa4381]

Sarah Kay, you beaut! When you open your mouth to speak you both shock and amaze. Your articulation and creativity is unparalleled in all Spoken Word universe. I love all your poems! Woman, keep writing, keep inspiring, keep speaking, keep liberating and changing the world. You were created for this

[@Shuffle-Major-Arcana]

I don't throw around the word perfect. But this is pretty close. It feels like the world is always trying to push you into a shape, until you realize that there are no walls. Everyone just imagines them.

[@gabrielearle9378]

i like this honestly. i always find myself looking at other girls and like to flirt with them and stuff but i never really felt attracted to them in a romantic way. i thought i was gay or that something was wrong with me. but this poem made me feel better

[@safiyarani4448]

Same, I find some women to be extremely attractive and sexy more so than men sometimes. But I could never feel a romantic connection with a woman or ever have anything beyond a physical relationship with one.

[@coolmanjr88]

Poetry “when is it my turn” Dedicated to Sarah Kay herself I wish a woman would say that about me I’m a simple man with big dreams and strong arms but far apart from what a woman seams to want these days you see I’m a man with cerebral palsy and no I don’t define myself as just that or as that at all it’s just a part of who I am I deserve love but women seam to see and laugh at me the simple boy with big dreams far from being a keen man with a place to lay my head every night when I would like to hear anthers breath on my chest blessed are you meany say never having to spend even a day in my shoes in my amount of pain I blink and my little cycle of friends is gone am I suffering a blonde moment am I missing something important no one touch nor kiss has touched my body or lips hips have never brushed against me to hear that whisper in my ear of I love you to whom the bell tolls I hear anther clap of cheering congratulations on the wedding I’m almost 35 I strive to be the best man I know how I bow at all the right moments I watch with eyes closed heart beat and music playing with the couple in the middle of the dance floor to a song I remember from my childhood and ask for the last time when is it my turn

[@user-ok4lo7ku3h]

Wow. That poetry was so beautiful. I don’t know what to say to be honest. Thank you for sharing- I really hope you find love. You seem like such an incredible man. Thank you❤️

[@220iris]

Can totally relate to this complicated topic. You always bring tears to my eyes. Such a blessing you are. Thank you Sarah Kay!

[@gabriellastauffer]

i have always slid around with my identity, to the point where i am just tired of trying to word it. i feel strength in this poem for me and for others, thank you thank you

[@shyamalganguly3598]

We have been searching for the boy and lo here it is!!

[@lincolnschultz7482]

Poetry is alive and well - thank you Sarah Kay

[@no83]

Never in my life have I identified with something as much as I do with this poem.

[@callmequestion]

"and for right now, I'm pretty in love with you if that's okay" "and just like that, I did not crave language I had always thought I needed."

[@jenineleonen]

I could listen to you over and over again. I can never get tired of it.

[@soniyarana5174]

Yet another masterpiece from sarah kay! What an inspiration, you are.

[@user-ok4lo7ku3h]

I’ve been struggling a lot with my sexuality and who I identify as. I don’t know how to deal with femininity and thought it was always wrong of me to so desperately love my cargo shorts and they way I quite literally dream of being a boy and riding dragons and feel that way a lot in my real life too. I don’t know who I am quite yet but oh my gosh this poem gave me everything. Thank you. Thank you. I feel safe.

[@lihledlamini8723]

You are a female that likes cargo shorts. That's you right there, no need to be struggling or trying to figure it out. Everything will fall in place in due time. You don't have to be a feminine to be a female

[@awantii7084]

You have a soothing voice, dear Sarah. Just listening to you and looking at you always makes me feel alright. Loads of love from Nepal.:))

[@oliviamasen21]

I can't even deal with how much this makes me feel. This is the most beautiful thing, so inspiring. Makes me wish that someday I could create something as me as this is you. I want to be able to express myself with this kind of clarity. To understand myself with this kind of clarity. Thank you so much Sarah

[@Nj-yu5md]

I really love how deep her poems r and how beautiful her voice is!

[@swapnihapuarachchi1383]

she put it in such away that no one is offended and I love it

[@shreyabhattacharjee1359]

and she speaks our hearts out with words so kept together that it feels like magic and nothing else but magic...

[@olivine6]

i thought this was beautiful a few years ago but i come back now and i really really felt it in my heart

[@tabithamunyaka5287]

sarah kay, you continue to amaze me....thank u

[@Mubblz]

❤❤ i am so in love with her spoken word

[@arbymaebolandres414]

Im in awe. 💜💜💜💜

[@Anna-jl7gy]

"What words could I tie around this treacherous heart?" "And just like that I did not crave language I had always thought I needed"

[@phoebeshunkerbell]

Sarah Kay is so so good. every time.

[@fanteinorman]

Just wow. The awesomeness she just spoke.

[@australkin]

im crying this is too beautiful

[@ricardojohnsonthon7547]

I absolutely love her!!

[@bightonchinembiri]

thumbs up Sarah, always my favorite poet..... perfect verses there

[@jessicasharma4836]

thank you sarah kay !!!

[@louise2379]

Very sweet, thank you for this poem.

[@amberniallstyles7184]

Love this. Period.

[@miaka183]

This is so beautiful. I'm out of words.

[@laurenelizabeth6603]

this is one of my favorites

[@luou8602]

i cried. this really struck to me :')

[@jaynazapanta3026]

She never fails to amaze me

[@wandy_cheng]

!!!! love love love love love

[@El_enaa]

This feeling! Thank you for this :)

[@LiteralGaming]

Beautiful

[@funifany]

sarah always be my most favorite performer😍😍😍

[@blacktarpanasmr]

what a beautiful piece of art!

[@kayedan]

you always know what to say Sarah. I loved it.!

[@arenaarena___]

I absolutely love her...

[@willspy4u]

And for right now, I'm pretty in love with Sarah Kay... if that's okay... (rhyme intended; no pun). This is the BEST kind of poetry; poetry that makes you forget to breathe; heart skipping a beat or three; living in the very moment that the poet presents to you.

[@nayjashah7368]

Love has no roles, no gender, no identity no origin... Love is love is love💜

[@malissahyatt2425]

I can't get enough of you or your intoxicating words. You have a subscriber for life.

[@greenbean8517]

This resonates well with me and my soul.

[@annamharolandez8168]

I fell in love with a gay. Sadly, it didn't work out. Listening to this makes me cry until now. It has been 3 years and I guess, I haven't moved on yet.

[@laica5425]

Me too

[@aditibisht22]

IT WOULD NOT!

[@KatieAJ]

Wow. That was amazing.

[@FLASCH1111]

This is the best poem in the world.

[@sarahsharpe1670]

I love this so much.

[@kaitlynmarie7946]

I FEEL THIS POEM SO DEEPLY

[@Vichewy]

That moment you realize this is a love poem #tears #newfavoritepoem

[@marissaprice6260]

oh my gosh i identify with so much of this!!!

[@lintangmutiarasavana8416]

it was awesome as always. and i just focused on that shes the dominant in her relationship and ive always felt like i'd be one too, but my friends told me that it'd be weird. glad i can relate to a poem from her (or even her personally)

[@michellecabatingan9466]

brilliantly said, Sarah Kay. :)

[@mohammedabdulmukim9597]

Awesome!

[@daawinkdoe9818]

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH

[@sweetnothings12]

She's perfection

[@saumyajain2953]

This poem makes me very happy.

[@indigo6485]

I love her she's humorous in a cute way

[@vinialfarina2541]

She's my favorite.

[@payton2762]

I have never related to a poem more.

[@malilbitofeverything]

She has her way with words. Wish i got that too… 🙌🏼🙌🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@firebembum4751]

Goosebumps.

[@shaziyashaikh3171]

This is so beautiful!

[@divyanivardhan3485]

This is beautiful!

[@rahrah304]

I fux wit this heavy. - The Trillest

[@merlindelway1162]

oh my God 😢 I thank you for writing this piece of literature 😢

[@Lover.of.earths.liberation]

This is such a sweet poem 💜

[@allthingshraddha]

She is so beautiful!

[@bellaavalos2646]

Who does she write these about? She’s got so many, and they’re all so lovely and she always says “you”. Who’s her ‘you’?

[@BIEBERownMe]

this is so beautiful and breathtaking as always, Sarah :)

[@TheSuperEvilapple]

UGH. MY HEART. SHE ACHES.

[@haley002]

I love this. I feel it.

[@kaushik_k_]

+haley002 Are you eight feet tall and wear a hoodie?! (You need to watch Kay's TED talk in case my odd reference is lost on you!)

[@sunshinea9]

this is so beautiful!

[@MonicaElysia16]

Love this

[@amandalove3368]

This poem moves my soul.

[@juliacyr2462]

somehow i have never heard this poem, and i found this when i needed it. this makes me feel like gender ambiguity is an okay spot to rest in. like i don’t need to see the answers in black and white. thank you🧡