A I D S

Like tentacles of a dark empty night

From the abyss of bottomless fear

Embracing the heart and choking the breath

Snuffing out the life source as it were

All it took was one night of gay abandon

When you lived out some old juvenile fantasy

You were too far-gone to think of protection

Too lost in the quest of fleeting ecstasy

You’re lying in bed, your mother’s beside you

Crying tears for the son she once carried within her

Your father is shattered, he’s in denial

Thinks there is still hope that you will recover

You’re wasting away, your breathing is labored

Your pulse is dipping, sweat drips on your pillow

You’re weeping now, trying to say you are sorry

To your baby girl and your soon- to- be widow

It’s suddenly over as white light blinds you to life

You’re sucked away from the body you donned

Watching from a distance as sobs fill the room

Wrenched from the hearts to which you belonged

SWATI CHANDRAN

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