A Poem by Charlie G.

Rev. Charlie G. is an interfaith minister from Maine who has been living with HIV/AIDS for over 20 years.

Yesterday's Anger

Where did the anger go?
The communal anger that led us to us yell and scream,
sit in, lay down
The circle anger, shared, defused

"I'm going to kill him"
"I'm going to give it to as many people as I can"
"I hate myself"

The political anger that questioned
why the president never said the word
What if his son got sick?
And why the funding was so small

The anger dissipates and weakens over time
as many truly angry ones pass,
either away or to a different life,
and with promises of funding, research, new drugs,
and promises, and promises, and promises

But the flow of anger never totally dries up,
and it needs to be primed
No more turning away from,
no more silent pity, worse, verbal
No more sisters and brothers getting infected
No more silence

Time to speak out every day
Time to spread information everywhere
Time to stoke the fires and bring back the drive,
the push, the dissatisfaction with the status quo of longer lives

Time to make yesterday's anger today's
and tomorrow's and the future's,
until there is an end, until it's over.