The use of [formerly considered] plural pronouns for singular people with alternative sexual/gender/other preferences has now become commonplace and even accepted by the Modern Literary Association (MLA), who has declared “they” singular.  However, in 2023 there is always room for controversy.  Enter Piyawat and Ruangrit Saetang, 35 year old Siamese twins.

In a beautifully interlaced choreographed poem, Piyawat and Ruangrit enlightened us on their pain stemming from cultural appropriation of a pronoun that in the past was exclusively for *them*. 

It’s hard being Siamese twins,
Our struggles never end.
Learning English was tough,
But that’s just the beginning, our friend/s.

We thought we had our own pronoun,
A special way to be addressed.
But now that “they” is singular,
We feel a bit distressed.

People say we should fight –
Lobby the MLA with all our might!
But without a mob on Twitter,
Ours is a difficult plight.

There’s one thing we can hold,
In Texas they call us “y’all.”
But will that be stolen too?
Alas it is the MLA’s call.

It’s hard being Siamese twins,
We’ll hope for luck on our side.
For our own pronoun, we’ll keep striving,
Until we are no longer denied.