|Articles|November 1, 1997
- Psychiatric Times Vol 14 No 11
- Volume 14
- Issue 11
Two Portraits of AIDS
Two Portraits of AIDS - Poetry of the Times
Advertisement
1.
Father Paul
Less than one year
and a few particles of viral protein
separate us.
A crucifix hangs
safety-pinned to his sweater,
his hollow cheeks marked with scarlet lesions.
I've watched his body wither
to a shadow of his cane.
Parishioners pray for him,
but if he names his illness
they will stone him out of town.
"Let's get this over with," he demands
when pneumonia moves into his boney chest.
The sister who speaks
only of the weather,
ignores his protests
and calls an ambulance.
He curses her,
laughs, "I'm ready."
During pain-free moments of calm,
he has confessed,
written his funeral mass and obituary.
And he has cried
goodbye to his drunken father
who still believes
he has the flu.
Today he is here for our monthly visit,
waiting to start 3TC.
I watch him
strain like a weight lifter
(continue)
to press his body
from the chair.
He stands,
catches the door frame,
brushes against the wall of diplomas,
clutches my desk top,
pauses for breath,
and finally, smiling,
makes a free fall plunge
into his usual seat.
2.
William
Six two, maybe 220,
hints of scarlet on his handsome cheek,
and a voice that slams
through my office door,
cursing AZT
and doctors who don't return calls.
"When the time comes, no heroics, okay?"
Prozac, Ambien, Xanax
give no relief.
He scans the Internet
for new treatments:
3TC, Cytolin, Kombacha mushroom tea.
We agree about morphine
at the end.
He asks me what to do,
this man who will do anything.
"Paint as often as before,
when your studio was a party,
your brushes loaded with paint."
He returns home
and stares out the farmhouse window,
spent as the weakened storm
in the north Atlantic,
kicking up waves,
drifting off
our local weather map.
© CME LLC
11/97
Articles in this issue
almost 28 years ago
Commentary: A Victory for Patientsalmost 28 years ago
Commentary: Ablow Shruggedalmost 28 years ago
Mysterious Brain Disease Defies Easy Solutionalmost 28 years ago
Consumer Employment: Advocacy Assumes Another Facealmost 28 years ago
The S.O.S. Campaign: Educating the Public About Schizophreniaalmost 28 years ago
Trichotillomania: Out of the Closetalmost 28 years ago
Trichotillomania: Out of the Closetalmost 28 years ago
New Weight Loss Controversy Flaresalmost 28 years ago
Late-Life Depression, Dementias- Top Educational Priorities for AAGPNewsletter
Receive trusted psychiatric news, expert analysis, and clinical insights — subscribe today to support your practice and your patients.
Advertisement
Latest CME
Advertisement
Advertisement
Trending on Psychiatric Times
1
Closing the Gap in Schizophrenia Care: Insights From the INTEGRATE Guidelines
2
Preliminary Report on Dangers of AI Chatbots
3
The Trial of ChatGPT: What Psychiatrists Need to Know About AI, Suicide, and the Law
4
Fostering Resiliency in Mental Health Professionals: A Strengths-Based, Trauma-Informed Framework
5