An Obituary for Stephanie

The dead cannot speak
but Her tombstone lies.
Beloved,
it says.
But not by Her parents,
disapproving of every choice
including Her last one--
death.

And surely not by Brent
the object of Her affections
who only noticed Her existence
when he turned a blind eye to the cruel words his friends spat at Her
like sour milk
or when Her suicide note was released
one last, desperate cry,
including his name.

The dead cannot speak,
but the alive can speak ill of the dead.
And so the alive spoke.
Her parents uttering lie after lie
every time they spoke of Her name,
Her "God-given" name,
or of Her life,
Her "God-given life",
or of Her death,
no longer God-given.

The dead cannot speak,
but her tombstone utters one last lie.
"Stephen"
it calls Her.
Her God-given name
Her god-given life

Stephanie ended Her God-given life
tired of being called Stephen
She killed them both that day
yet all mourn Stephen
a name,
a birth certificate,
a box checked "male"
when it asks for sex
and not gender.
Who mourns Stephanie?