Because it has NOT left us, and
its impact never will.
It's a strange sort of thing, to have lived with and
been affected by something for so long, and yet
so many others never give it a moment's notice.
Still, here in the South, decades after the onslaught
began, people are wont to speak of sex or disease
in any context, ever. Misinformation, fear, shame,
and complete cluelessness about the ongoing existence
of this disease (and how easily it could be halted)
are the norm.
More than ever, this is a socially-spurred disease.
If people won't speak about sex, sexuality, and consequences
due to puritanical judgmentalness and fear of their own
bodies...it's a disaster waiting to happen.
But I always come back to all the good people
lost forever. Beyond all the politics, the anger,
the resentment, and the cultural bullshit, there is
that one simple reality; the permanent loss of
good people I will never see again.
And all of it avoidable.
Over 6,000,000 people lost to date worldwide.
Hundreds of them known to me, grieved by me,
including a handful of my dearest friends in my life.
More than 33 million people
currently living with HIV/AIDS worldwide
(see www.amfar.org )
I wish I had a time machine.
My world--and the whole world--
is lessened by the departure of these
Best of the Best.
***
