She said it was a better way to die
Than most; she seemed relieved, almost at peace,
The stench of her infected Kaposi's
Made bearable by the Opium applied
So daintily behind her ear: "I know
It costs a lot, but dear, I'm nearly gone."
Her shade of eye shadow was emerald green;
She clutched her favorite stones. Her final show
She'd worn them all, sixteen necklaces of pearls,
Ten strings of beads. She said they gave her hope.
Together, heavy as a gallow's rope,
The gifts of drag queens dead of AIDS. "Those girls,
They gave me so much strength," she whispered as
I turned the morphine up. She hid her leg
Beneath smoothed sheets. I straightened her red wig
Before pronouncing her to no applause.
The bolded statement "She said it was a better way to die" proves that she was accepting of her death. Death causes pain and she overcame the pain because of hope. Rafael Campo never states the victims name because he is doing it out of trust. He pursues truth by being compassionate to a friends illness. This poem relates to Dominican University's mission statement: As a Sinsinawa Dominican- sponsored institution, Dominican University prepares students to pursue truth, to give compassionate service and to participate in the creation of a more just and humane world.
In this poem Campo's friend is suffering from AIDS and receives hope from other drag queens. The poem mentions things of value, such as "costs a lot," "emerald green," and "sixteen necklaces of pearls." This shows the monetary value of money and beauty for drag queens. Drag queens view beauty as a value and it gives them hope. The gifts by people who have passed away, such as pearls, surrounds her with death and love by others. She also is being compassionate to those who have passed away as well by wearing the pearls passed down to her. Campo would like to live in a more just and humane world. Ultimately Campo was doing a compassionate service by being there for a friend who is suffering.
I liked how you connect to Dominican’s mission to prepare us to pursue truth and to do humane services the poem. By, Rafael Campo being there for his friend until she dies and being humane it’s one of the quality that Dominican wants to have by the time we graduated. He does a better job showing respect to his drag queen friend unlike the New York Times were they have identify that all the people who get AIDS are gay and Latino. .
ReplyDeleteI really like how you highlighted each other the articles she was wearing as she died, especially the pearls that were passed down to her from others that went before her. I think this can be connected to what we discussed in class about how having a voice can mean survival in some ways. In this case, she wears her pearls to maintain control over her illness and her body but also her pride; by dying as herself, she is accepting of her passing and is not affected by the stigma surrounding AIDS and gays.
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