“The front section is the realm of the dead, symbolized by inert materials – polished black granite and concrete.  The back section represents the living.” 

—Parc de l’espoir – AIDS Memorial Park
Ville-Marie, Montreal.

I’ve lost those cubes of half remembered dead—
not even half I’ve forgotten them completely

In favor of the mullet-headed sandal-toed lover
who picks his teeth in the coffee shop

In favor of proud meat market hookups
who won’t bother to feign interest or surprise

In favor of coffee so black and strong
old memories are strangled into myth

In favor of shared glances gelled Mohawks veined throbbing house
music pounding our spines until our hearts skip a beat in unison

In favor of a street filled with desperately handsome men I cannot
see through the haze of a new love’s breath on my eyelids

In favor of dying happy because of
last night and last night and last night

When spasms of ecstasy ended with
my tears spread across both his calves

     (First published in The November 3rd Club, 2010)