In (binary) days of old

In days of old, you either had a penis or you didn’t. If you did, you were considered a man. If not, then a women. Anyone who didn’t conform was killed, locked in the attic/madhouse, or simply ignored. The binary was self-enforcing.

only perfection
may bask in the sun’s fair light
shh! lady’s slipper

One day it was discovered that almost all men have a Y chromosome, and almost no women have one. Therefore, XX was equated (mostly) with women, and XY (mostly) with men. This satisfied 99% of people – and 100% of people who mattered. A nice, convenient binary.

white clover’s fourth leaf
is a scientist’s pursuit:
hope, faith, love and luck

However, the people locked away in the attic started to complain. “This ‘almost binary’ is wrong,” they said. “Having – or not having – a penis doesn’t define me. Your simple assumptions are hurting me!”

mary jane’s despised
for being both girl and boy –
or one, or other…

The binary people grew afraid, for their assumptions were written into law, into textbooks, into the holy texts, and even into a long history of violence and oppression. “How dare you challenge our norms!” they cried.

ah, normality!
the bells of digitalis
ring a deadly toll