Joining
Come, set the candles all aflame
to shine away your cryptic shame,
expose the good....
~~~~~~~~~~
I must call him Daniel L. to differentiate from Dan V. and Danny O. He is French-Canadian, erudite, humanistic, well travelled. He was the first great friend I made after coming out. We met through a phone dating service in autumn 1996 and became lovers for several weeks. On November 11 I wrote the poem "Joining" for him. It was both erotic, and a call to come out of the closet. When he did, every significant friend and co-worker, even his Catholic family, embraced his acknowledgement warmly.
Years later we discovered we had vastly different versions of how it ended. I remember him breaking off with me shortly before I met Dan, but he tells a different story. It doesn't matter. We still love each other.
In February 1997 I introduced him to Martin. They will celebrate their ninth anniversary in June.
In 1999 I wrote a choral setting for "Joining", which the Rainbow Chorus performed.
We've scarcely spoken for two years. The reasons are foggy to me, probably more so to him. This morning I emailed requesting permission to include the dedication for "Joining" in the new chapbook. He sounded more than happy to hear from me.