Yesterday was World AIDS Day, decades later I am still impacted by these deaths! 

This is not another sappy poem 
as to the myriad of humans 
I’ve lost to this horrible illness
I thought instead I would tell you 
a little bit about them...

Nick, my mentor  was one of the most open-minded
individuals I’d ever met on this planet; 
whenever I felt stagnant before Nick died 
we would always discuss the most random 
of issues tapered into logical and spiritual 
sense. As my teacher, he understood 
my insanity and innate need 
to help heal the world.

Every single Thursday during my placement
Ronnie & I were paired for food bank day. 
My supervisor at the time had acknowledged 
the difficulty of being surrounded 
by much darkness every Thursday. That was never 
my perspective, it afforded me the opportunity 
to comprehend my clients. I still remember Ronnie’s  
Christmas card from 1996, it said “We will always 
make a wonderful pair. Love, Ronnie” 
He was gone three weeks later...

John loved creativity, every time I would 
visit him we would either order pizza 
or Chinese, talk, and watch movies. 
There was a slight overhang in his condo 
that he didn’t like at all. He desired leaves 
to be stencilled in deep forest green 
to break up the boredom. I stencilled 
the overhang, he said every year we would 
add 2 inches and it would grow – – 
he never survived the next growth.

Throughout the course of our lives 
we honour our lost spirits by proceeding 
without them to acknowledge the kindness 
even disagreements, I am not only a better 
person but counsellor as well. Working with 
people who have HIV and AIDS 
is one of the hardest things to do.

Palliative care houses torture for 
everyone including those who are suffering.

The best way to contend with heartache 
is to always approach with love.
Something that sounds so ridiculously
corny affords moments 
of appreciation.