I

I've never met him
don't know his story
how he lived
the joys he possessed
or the pain he bared
before the end

I only knew him
through his neice's love
how her eyes shined
when she talked of him
the love she bore her uncle
shone bright as any star
even on the darkest night
that came as she knew it must

II

Night time
it's windy
and the flame dances
on the candle tip
I can't help
but wonder of life
why things happen
under this starry sky
silence greets me
as I stare at my friends
thinking
of the love
Shawna's love
for her uncle
who died last summer
of AIDS

Not just some
faceless victim
but someone loved
by his friends
his family
his lover

It's personal
this feeling
when you know someone
affected by this plague

The joys are remembered
but sadness reigned
that night
as I watched Shawna
as she quietly cried
grief is a potent thing
sadness anger
the endless questions
the impotent rage
at people's belief
that AIDS victims
deserved their fate

Blind fools
who don't bother
to see the light
that we all share
in our souls

III

Starlight above me
as I sit on a hill
the river flows below me
quiet remains
as I hold the candle
now just a stub

I never knew his name
I never met him
but somehow
I know I'll never forget
a neice's love
the memory lives
in the soundless echoes
of my mind
and tears fall
as I wonder of
the needless waste
I feel a need
to do something
any thing
in remembrance

My heart cries
as another spirit dies
it doesn't matter
that I didn't know him
I know Shawna
I witnessed her grief
I cried with her
and Roxy that night

So I sit in solitude
aimlessly staring
down at the river
my own private vigil
watching as the starlight
dances on the river
much as the candle flame
danced earlier

Forever lights
these stars
as forever as the memory
of a departed friend

IN MEMORY:  DON SHIREMAN DIED JULY 1994