April is National Poetry Month in the U.S., so throughout the month, TheBody.com collected reader submissions of poetry about living with, or being affected by, HIV/AIDS. Here are those poems.
Poems From Our Readers
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A Poem by Bryan Fleury (posted May 5)
"Fearing old friends in public, / avoiding eye contact, / the double take I get / makes me want to cry."
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Two Poems by Lisa (posted May 5)
"Heaven above will shine upon; / Those you chose to lay this on."
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Two Poems by Matthew (posted May 5)
"Feel the power / Trust the strength and power of the universe / Learn to be loved / And learn to be at peace / with the simple things in life"
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A Poem by Rollins (posted May 5)
"Thief of souls, can you feel me? / Does it taste like gold? / Run through my dreams and reach for my heart, / Take your grip and rip me apart."
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A Poem by Shaun (posted May 5)
"Cover my soul / in a transparent net"
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A Poem by A.G. (posted April 30)
"i count my days in twos and threes / in life and death and pills / every night i make the choice to live / or let myself be killed"
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A Poem by Robert Breining (posted April 30)
"2.5 MILLION INFECTED LAST YEAR / WITH NO CURE WE ALL LIVE IN FEAR / I'LL STAND UP AND FIGHT WITHOUT SHEDDING A TEAR"
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Two Poems by Anonymous (posted April 28)
"They give you these meds / you don't like to take, / but to tell you the truth, / I hate them too. / So don't take them. / Make me happy. / Otherwise we'll be fighting."
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A Poem by Terry Delonas (posted April 23)
"A glimpse of the Eternal from wooden steps, / On an upward path back to the world, / Steps I was forced to sit upon, forced to enjoy, / For lack of strength that had not quite returned"
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A Poem by londonsw (posted April 20)
"Do not make my body weak / Do not let me die / When I go I take you with me / So be my friend till the very end"
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Three Poems by Mike A. (posted April 20)
"TREAT YOURSELF NOW // In ways that / SAVE YOU // REACH OUT / and keep KNOCKING / until a BETTER door opens"
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A Poem by Michelle (posted April 12)
"But the virus multiplying in my blood / Is fueled by people's fear -- 'stigma'"
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A Poem by BJ (posted April 9)
"I want you to know that this life is cold and bitter but it's also made of the sweetest sugar. So I pray you have the strength to taste it."
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Five Poems by Ronnie De Koker (posted April 9)
"Do people think that we are less human? / Hiv is just in me, it is not me! / It does not define who I am, / Nor the people that have it"
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A Poem by Christa (posted April 7)
"My exterior is fused with an uninvited guest, / covered with shame, / ashamed that I am battling to disclose a secret, / in exchange for some peace. / No one wants to see this, talk about it... / questioning looks, don't you have any shame? / I do."
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A Poem by David I. Joseph (Chakena R. Conway) (posted April 7)
"HIV is not a virus / It is a motivator / Energy refresher / A battery charger / Smile / Heads high / Go fight / Live life / Make right / What sin made wrong / Take time / And make your life long"
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A Poem by Curls1983 (posted April 7)
"Time goes by like an eternity and the wait gets worse and worse, / Finding out positive or negative, everyday feels like a curse."
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A Poem by Brooke Davidoff (posted April 7)
"I did not feel sad / no fear, or anger / I felt power / A surge of destiny / like this was my new calling"
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A Poem by Gloria Makatshaba (posted April 7)
"HIV you are the divider, you are a ruler, but not the end to me / you divide my inner soul, trample it, you crushed me, but not yet."
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Eleven Poems by Valynn (posted April 7)
"You can't touch the enemy / But You can touch its victims / You can't see the enemy / But You can see its devastation"
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A Poem by Brett (posted April 1)
"I am the most deadly rose."
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Two Poems by Joseph Ohmer (posted April 1)
"If I CAN keep growing no matter HOW great or small, / Then I'm more, / More than just three letters."
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A Poem by veganplease (posted April 1)
"Skillfully was I Awakened / from my deep, tenebrous Slumber / to the Epiphany of my Numbered Days."
This article was provided by TheBody.com. 
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