Tuesday, May 12, 2009

An Homage to the Dead

Every day, in common conversation, you hear people talking about the dead.

So many die. So many are sick. I stop myself from asking, "Why did she die?". The answer is painfully obvious.

A few of the Net Buddies gather to look at photos of themselves and their friends on my computer. I ask, "How is Boitumelo?". The children look down. I ask, "Where is Thabo?" The children look away. I don't need to ask why.

The sudden quiet, the turning of the head, the staring at the wall...that is the answer to my question.

HIV/AIDS is so pervasive. So many are sick. So many die.

The millions of dead are a silent explosion. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a bomb-burst of trauma. It is an all pervasive, threatening specter of disease that eclipses the children's current happiness as well as their hoped-for futures.

So, I stop myself from asking.

The silence we share is an homage to the dead.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful young girl. This was very touching Dana. I'm more excited than ever now. Patricia