After The Rain Was Gone, Still Remembering Them

"After The Rain Was Gone, Still Remembering Them"

Forty-nine photos line the wall

of our church, forty-nine lives

louder than the shots that killed them

the silence, the awe, as I look at

their faces, fierce, beautiful, amazing

and so young, too young to be

on this wall, to have us lighting

candles in remembrance, so soon

taken much too soon

the names write themselves in my

mind, and I stumble back, still shaken

almost in tears again, the hole in

my heart for these, my brothers and

sisters, Queer family, barely healed

after hearing the news and finding

myself sobbing on the shoulders of

strangers at an impromptu vigil, 'cause what

else could we do, we the living, we who love,

we who are Queer, and Queer friendly, and

human, we, who are stunned by this, another

act of violence, of horror, we, who want to be

better, who know, deep inside, those gorgeous

ones, on this wall, will never die, but always be

somewhere dancing, dancing, dancing, never

gone, too bright to ever be really gone.

James Stansberry is a local poet and philosopher.

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

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