Jerry Chasen's Blog

A meditation on the surprising occasion of my telling my then partner I wanted to be his “sweetheart”.

This poem sums up those that preceded it. It’s also probably the last one that in any real way focused on HIV. Though the disease is still very present, it feels less immediately threatening (I know that’s not particularly PC, but it is my reality).

My then new love and I were doing a long distance dance. I found that two weeks apart was about all I could really stand.

One of the earliest pieces I still have. Written for my good friend Robert’s 40th birthday, it is matched in structure with the piece I wrote for his 50th. I had sworn I wouldn’t go to New York to celebrate, in part because of lack of funds. Glad I remembered what was important!

Funny how things work. Shortly after writing this, my firm closed, and I left the new offices this talks about. Check out Holiday 2000.