PhillySound: new poetry

Frank Sherlock called me up and asked if I had seen the photograph of my old boyfriend Earth that Zoe Strauss recently posted on her Facebook page. I was on the phone with Frank until I found it. It's been about 12 years since Earth was murdered. I've never seen this photograph of him until now, and he's as beautiful as I remember him.

In the early 90's we were living in Philadelphia's Imperial Hotel on Juniper between Locust and Spruce. That's a whole long story, that hotel, that street, those years. I'm not interested in tripping down memory lane. What I will say is that I loved this man. Dearly loved him, and I wish that I could go back in time to prevent him from moving to Tennessee.

But when you nickname yourself Earth, chances are the city is not where you want to live. He didn't. I still remember the last time I saw him in the health food store near South Street where he worked. He embraced me with an enormous smile saying that he was FINALLY DOING IT he was finally moving to Tennessee to the Radical Fairy encampment.

He found a cave on the mountainside where he would visit each day to meditate. He must have been watched by the people who killed him is my suspicion. Whoever they were, they were never found. He was hogtied, doused with gasoline and set on fire. Can you imagine this? I have, over and over. Look at this photograph PLEASE! Look at that man there. He's the most gentle, sweet, sincere, honest man. He cared so much about this world. It still makes me angry when I think of his murder. It's an anger I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do with some days.

Our queer politics and spirituality brought us together. And I loved him. Very much. And I miss him. And I'm so glad, and feel so fortunate to have had time with him while he was alive in Philadelphia. There are so many people on Earth that it's a miracle we ever find one another when we do, right? But I found Earth, and he found me.

And thank you Frank Sherlock for telling me about this photograph. And thank you Zoe Strauss for taking it, and for posting it. It doesn't make me sad. In fact it makes me extremely happy to see him again, especially in this context. THANK YOU! I'm grateful, truly grateful for my friends, and the possibility of love in this world.

CAConrad