Over the Counter Encounter
Reprinted from Ties and Rings in The Closet Clandestine by Edward C. Patterson
He was an over-the-counter encounter.
His smile won my heart;
His wink my soul
And little did I know then,
What I know now.
A coffee break, a dinner or two,
Then to the blossom of my virgin sheets,
This little guy, this blue-eyed soul
Would be the one for me;
In his arms and his heart so deep.
This is the vigil I kept and keep.
We were engaged;
And shared some trips,
Some clothing and a chair, a lounge;
Then somehow after fervent years,
A house, the cooking, the cleaning chores;
The wonder of how we ever survived
The money, the bouts, the touch and feel,
The reconciliation after ordeal.
Never apart; always float,
Some days fresh
Others rote,
Yet, balance it all under the sun
And happiness is that heart I won.
Into to the hills, to the pinnacle
We camped for weeks and managed colds.
Then, home for a month my cold subsides;
But my little guy’s chest all cures defy.
Suddenly, into my sunshine world,
I held his hand as he seemed to sink;
I learned that the plague was here.
My angry soul, who knew not why,
I shared a world, but not this one;
And I wanted to die and suffer too
Into this horrible harvest reaped.
And that is the vigil I kept and keep.
I quit my job to be with him
As better and worse and better and grim
Intruded on each waking hour
As I cared for my little blue-eyed flower.
I helped him walk and rubbed his feet
So he might find the peace to sleep
And that is the vigil I kept and keep.
The day it snowed I carried him
To a place where he could see.
The snow he loved, and was meant for him
Because God knew from me.
But he could not see because the plague
Had torn away his eyes
And so I sat beside my love
And told him of the scene.
Then, his family came
And they saw and knew;
Each touched my love
And wept anew.
It’s snowing Matt — and just for you.
They went away
Because they knew.
And my little over-the-counter encounter
Snuggled me close and went to sleep.
And I am always alone with him.
That is the vigil I kept and keep.
If you wish to contact Hyacinth AIDS Foundation for information or a donation, they can be reached at
Hyacinth AIDS Foundation
317 George Street Suite 203
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
www.hyacinth.org
Edward C. Patterson has been writing novels, short fiction, poetry and drama his entire life, always seeking the emotional core of any story he tells. With his eighth novel, The Jade Owl, he combines an imaginative touch with his life long devotion to China and its history. He has earned an MA in Chinese History from Brooklyn College with further postgraduate work at Columbia University. A native of Brooklyn, NY, he has spent four decades as a soldier in the corporate world gaining insight into the human condition. He won the 2000 New Jersey Minority Achievement Award for his work in corporate diversity. Blending world travel experiences with a passion for story telling, his adventures continue as he works to permeate his reader's souls from an indelible wellspring.
Published Novels by Edward C. Patterson include No Irish Need Apply, Bobby's Trace, Cutting the Cheese, Surviving an American Gulag, Turning Idolater, Look Away Silence, The Jade Owl (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book I), The Third Peregrination (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book II), The Dragon’s Pool (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book III), and Southern Swallow Series (Book I – The Academician). Coming soon: Southern Swallow Series (Book II – The Nan Tu; Book III – Swan Cloud; Book IV – The House of Green Waters), Belmundus, The Road to Grafenwöhr, and Green Folly. Look also for The People’s Treasure (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book IV) and In the Shadow of Her Hem (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book V).
Poetry books available are The Closet Clandestine: a queer steps out and Come, Wewoka & Diary of Medicine Flower. Also Are You Still Submitting Your Work to a Traditional Publisher?
Dancaster Creative www.dancaster.com
From my mind to your imagination . . .
Look Away Silence Page 29