Dennis Rhodes
Passing
They think no one dies anymore.
The worst is over. Time to move on
with their uninfected lives. The truth is
men have struggled for twenty years or more
trying to get their “cocktails” just right,
fearful as ever of night sweats, random sores
breaking out on their bodies. They
have been chronically underweight
and gaunt, some with walkers. Yes,
life has gone on for the many.
No one deliberately ignores the few:
they are largely, but kindly, unnoticed.
My friend Frank passed yesterday.
They think no one dies anymore.
Dennis Rhodes is the author of Spiritus Pizza & Other Poems (Vital Links, 2000) and Entering Dennis (Xlibris, 2005). His poems and essays have appeared in BLOOM, Chelsea Station, Lambda Literary Review, The Cape Cod Times, New York Newsday, Fine Gardening, Avocet, Backstreet, Ibbetson Street, bear creek haiku, Aurorean, and Alembic, among others.
SUBMIT to the HIV Here & Now poem-a-day countdown to World AIDS Day 2017 via our SUBMITTABLE site.
If you want to support the mission and work of HIV Here & Now, consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Indolent Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity.
Join our mailing list to receive news, updates, and special offers from Indolent Books, the publisher of HIV Here & Now.