The Stories
Indulgences
The first story is told from a perspective of a boy whose grandfather died and describes his visit to his home and then funeral. When he and his mother arrive there, they are met with the grandfather's caretaker, a young woman named Evelyn. During the funeral, the entire family shifts the blame on Evelyn because of her promiscuous ways and accuse her of killing him. The story ends with the drive home together with a furious mother and a boy looking out the window staring at a scarecrow they pass by.
The story takes place in the past and present. A boy visits his grandmother's house and encounters a ghost named Reynaldo there. Parallel to that the story entails letters written by Reynaldo to his grandfather whose name was Jesus. They were close up until Jesus married the boy's grandmother Rosario. After Jesus's death, Rosario wrote to Reynaldo asking him to come meet Jesus's grandchildren.
Chivalry
The story is about a young boy suffering depression and living through several attempts of suicide. He goes to his grandma's farm where he gets close to his cousin David. It is clear that his love towards David surpasses the friendly kind, but David has strange ritualistic behavior, collecting skeletons of animals and covering himself in strawberry juice during the night in the field. The story ends with them washing each other after one such outing.
My Aztlan: White Place
The narrator is a man positive to AIDS and the story describes his struggle living with the disease. The white place from the title is his childhood home, and he recalls life with his parents and abuse he suffered from his mother. He remembers his past lover, who was taken from him by the disease.
Unprotected
The story is about a sexual encounter between a man positive to AIDS and another man who approaches him at the bar. In the morning the man goes on a shame-walk hating the encounter and the smell of lotion on his hands.
Holy
The story is about a man positive to AIDS disease living in an apartment which is next to an apartment of a strange woman who refuses to clean herself. The woman starts to stalk him and leaving ritualistic objects and symbols in front of his apartment. The story ends with the man leaving the apartment to sit on a throne made for him by the woman and becoming a new being.
Baptism
The story is about a girl living with his father and cousin Denise, who came to live with them after her father tried to assault her. They slowly begin to reconcile and their fathers together with them spend time together. Once on a lake, the girl narrating the story, almost drowns while swimming with Denise. After they go home, she decides to make Denise cut her long hair. Her father comes in, kisses her and tells her that she looks like his son.
Letting go
This metaphoric story talks about a man holding onto a useless rope, which released, brings on a new perspective. The rope is connecting him onto his toxic family and toxic relationship. After he releases it, he begins to notice things about himself.
Sight
The story is about a person losing sight, but seeing the colors of people, seeing their pain and their emotions. The story ends with the narrator letting the angels consume him.
The Poems
To the First Time
The poem is about a loss of virginity. The speaker of the poem meets a guy at the bar, and they get together. At the end, the poem alludes to the physical and emotional dangers of this sort of love.
Dear Richard
This poem is an apology to a young boy named Richard by the male speaker of the poem, who was young himself at the time, for sexually abusing him during the school time.
My Father Near Retirement
The poem is about the speaker's old father losing the strength he once had, but being proud of having nurtured children with earthy color of skin, just like the soil he nurtured, meaning that he lives on through them.
Bordertowns
This poem is dedicated to L.A., to the speaker's friend Laura, who is homosexual as he is. It describes one of their drives and the assumption of people that they are a couple.
Resurrection
This is a metaphorical poem that describes a bondage intercourse, which ends with a grim message of being eaten alive until only bones and leather are left. The poem is left to interpretation.
There Are Places You Don't Walk at Night, Alone
The poem literally gives places where you shouldn't walk at night alone and the speaker of the poem gives reasons for it from his personal experience with violence.
The Breath of God That Brings Life
This poem is dedicated to K.M, to the speaker's lover called Kevin and describes the moment of intimacy between them, during the rainfall and while listening to the Islamic call for prayer.
Turmoil
The poem describes moments of intimacy between lovers and the speaker's desire for God to see what he created.
At Risk
The speaker of the poem is at the doctor's office during Christmas. There is an abusive mother and her young son there. The speaker looks at the mother how she threatens and beats the young boy and remembers his own childhood.
Even Months After the Death, John Dreams
John dreams of his lover who died months ago. John knows that he can't bring him back, so he hates to world and wants everyone to suffer like he does.
The Quilt Series
1. 911
The first poem is about the speaker's lover John being dragged to the emergency after being exhausted from the illness, presumably AIDS. He blames him on the way to the ambulance car.
2. ICU
John is at the hospital and there is a small chance he will survive. The speaker decides to commit suicide after John's death.
3. REM
John opens his eyes and screams that he doesn't want to die.
4. RM#
John is being moved from room to room. Friends and family are trying to comfort the speaker, but he knows that it's only a matter of time until John dies.
5. 4AM
The speaker is not there when John dies. Nurse calls him to tell him he should come, but he doesn't make it in time to be there.
6. DOA
The speaker goes to the hospital to see John for the last time, to convince himself of his death. Going back home, he has to accept that his love is gone.
Conquering Immortality
In this poem the speaker describes a movie theater called Egyptian and talks about Egyptian mythology while describing a sexual encounter he had there and also his battle with AIDS. He ends the poem with hopeful message of being protected by a dream of immortality, awoken by the old theater.
