by Donald Hancock

Created on: March 07, 2009   Last Updated: July 03, 2009

THIS VERY IMPORTANT THING Stephen's Story (As told to the author)

There was a day when I thought
I owned the world!
Then Fate stepped in and
Changed the song that I was playing
To something much more somber
And sad and scary.

With unstable rhythm and
Jolting screams of "No! No!"
Right in the middle of quiet
And harmony and smooth
Melody.

My life as a student had just begun.

And a bright future was ahead of me,
Or so I thought.
Then this crushing visitor invaded my life.
Inbedded in pain and fever came
The devastating words "HIV" and then
Yes, "Aids"!

But then, when the fury began to ebb,
And the doctors cleared my thinking,
I realized that my world had not ended.
Instead I was facing a new world
That I had never known before.
It was, it IS a world of hope
And challenge and purpose!
Even a world with a career!

For now, the sickness, that scary
Sickness, is under control.
They have found ways to make
This thing livable, doable, though not lovable.
I have become a helper of those
Who tread that Path,

I am part of a group of friends
Who help the new ones find their way.
And that path, once called the Path of Horror
Can now be called the Path of Hope.
And I am privileged to do this as
My daily work.

Yes, sometimes I wish that
The old song had continued to play,
That old song "Follow the yellow brick road"
Of school, career, and retirement.
And sometimes I wish that all was
Nice and easy and healthy again.

But I have met life where it is
And I am in love with life as it is.
Now I wish for nothing more
Than to do this very important thing!

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