From a distance the View is cheerful.
A sea of colors;
Crimson, saffron, canary, azure
Carefully arranged in a grid.
As I approach the grid I begin to notice
The Details.
The Grid is one; it is whole.
Each component is complete in
Itself.
Bit by Bit, I am introduced to
Gary, Bill, "Our Baby Daughter".
I develop an impression of who they were;
How precious they still are to those
Who loved them.
Dear John,
You are five years gone.
I miss you with all my heart.
Much Love,
Your Mother.
The Loss, the tears,
The Torn Hearts.
These threads attempt, with all their might,
To mend the Torn Hearts.
I ask myself, "Why?"
"How can this happen, who is responsible?"
I am Angry.
I Hate This Disease!
My Anger builds with each passing moment.
Thousands of Lives
The joy that the brought to those their lives touched.
The sorrow that they are no longer here to
Share our world.
Those cheerful colors will never
Look quite the same again.
Their vibrancy has been dulled.
My mind's eye will always see them as shades of
The Quilt.
-Randy Allgaier 1989