in memoriam

david died this week. his wide grin that stretched across his face whenever anyone entered the room. his clumsy yet calculated dance moves if you happened to pass him the hallway. the neck hugs he gave away freely and wholeheartedly. all gone. i sat next to the altar watching the technicians bring his friends in to the church. his mother sat on the front row slowly wiping away tears from her face. behind the altar played a slideshow featuring david as a boy and then as a young man--the disease that claimed his life a shadow that fell over his face in those later pictures. he was only 23.