AIDS (Alias), 1986

His designated alias

was Tim Olson,

brother and patient

at that big Boston hospital –

and Tim Olson

was the name-key

the lobby’s receptionist

gave us, to be sure

we’d locate the right patient.

But before that

we had to give the lady

his real last name,

hoping against hope

the preening of goodness

in our faces

and the eking out of meekness

in our demeanor

would reverse their harsh sentence

and give our brother a reprieve.