Zidovudine
By Aaron Smith
I thought zidovudine was a cool word
until I learned it was AZT (C₁₀H₁₃N₅O₄),
a drug so many took while dying.
When I was young, Gay Poetry was AIDS
Poetry and AIDS meant death. Who knew
a community could be so lonely? My friends
and I joke how Shame is more interesting
than Pride. I guess if you don’t laugh, you’ll blah
blah blah. Lately, I get bored with my brain,
don’t feel like finishing sentences. Beyoncé
released a new song today. I don’t like it. I don’t
hate it, but I wanted to love it and I’m not sure
if I’ll play it in the car. She says over and over,
you won’t break my soul, you won’t break my—
