Hidden Warriors in the Hidden World
“The Safe Cave“
Written by Christy Lee, a WSTB05 student from the University of Toronto
This poem was submitted as part of OPF's partnership with the WSTB05 class (Understanding Power and Knowledge in Research). More information about our partnership can be found here.
Introduction:
My research topic is to explore the experiences of LGBTQ+ youths on social media. Social media has a huge impact on our daily lives. Youths are especially active in using social media. In particular, LGBTQ+ youths have high connectivity with social media. I have created a poetry regarding how LGBTQ+ youths use social media as a way to fight back one of the dominant systems of power – heteronormativity and speak for themselves using photos, videos or simply captions of words. They can have relatively higher autonomy in the social media environment when compared to having face-to-face interactions with people in real life (Lucero 125). They get to choose what to post, who to talk to and customize the kinds of information they want to know, under a less stressful and pressurized atmosphere. To them, the existence of social media is just like a safe cave that gives them the strength to find meanings and values in their lives.
The Safe Cave
There’s one cave
Unlike any caves in the world
Invisible companions feel free that
Words on the keyboard flow freely
There’s one cave
Colorful than any palette in the world
Small pixels of colors form a rainbow that
Light up invisible companions’ day
There’s one cave
Warmer than any place in the world
Even though they are all strangers
Invisible companions understand
There’s one cave
Safer than any place in the world
Even though there is a war out there
Invisible companions protect
This one cave will be replaced
Only when the time come
Only when there is true unity
Within the human race