by Ken Castillo
My Twin bed isn’t mine to keep,
But it supplies safety, therefore I can rest assured.
This Twin bed comes with an abundance of
Connectivity and support,
While my Queen size left me lonely in ruins.
This Twin bed overlooks nature,
Is grounded.
The Queen, concrete from the 5th floor.
I had a Twin before,
When my sister lived a level up.
Twin beds bring back innocence.
Laughter and secret chatter in my siblings room.
The Twin that I occupy now does the same.
This time, men share their aspirations in the 3am night-lit skies.
Intimacy is shared between the Queen and Twin.
Queen for conquer, Twin for liberation.
With the Twin, there’s room for error,
And awareness of how far I can go.
With the Queen, there is endless space,
No room to dare.
No room for the just.
All I want is the dream.
Ken Castillo is a gay New Yorker and Chrystal Meth Addict. Three traits that describe but hardly define the man Ken is now and who he is yet to become. At 33, Ken has overcome 9 years of Crystal Meth usage, Just For Today. Meth and Sex have become very much intertwined within the gay community. In “Twin Bed”, Ken depicts the rise of false pride, ego and superiority through dominating Chemsex and balances the poem with back and forth humility through remembrance of childhood innocence. This is Ken overcoming his struggles in a way that is both therapeutic and a way that allows him to interpret his views on the simplicity of a BED, a place of trauma to a place of spiritual refuge.