Tokens of Remembrance

In my previous post entitled Clearing Out Your Closet, I described a sweater that a friend gave me when he cleared out his lover's closet two weeks after Jorge had died of AIDS. It made me think of all of the tokens of remembrance that I now keep for my friends. Here are the ones I was able to find.



(Left: Jorge's sweater.)









(Right: A pony-tail palm that I have kept alive since before 1987 when my friend Ralph died of AIDS. He gave me this for me to remember him. I do. I call the plant Ralphine.)











(Left: A map of the Milky Way given to me by Kenny. He died in 1994. This map is painted with phosphorescent paint, so when the lights are out, it glows in the dark.

Kenny used to stand outside, look at the stars and say, "It just doesn't matter! It just doesn't f*cking matter.")







(Right: This print was left at Kenny's home, unclaimed and unframed. It had faded in the light by the time we met at his home to close it down for sale. Margaret gave it to me and I had it reframed.)









Left: This unusual birdhouse was on the mantel at Donald's house on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. When we had his memorial, I asked for this to remember Donald. He was a carpenter and did beautiful work...and this birdhouse was quirky enough to remind me of his spirit.













(Right: The last printed bag from my father's store. It was a green bag at one point, but now has faded to brown.









Categories: photography HIV/AIDS remembrance inheritance tokens dad