Our Moral Responsibility Poem by Astell Collins

How many more will have to die
Before we identify this lie
And how many families must be destroyed?
Before we turn our gaze unto the Lord
Why must those infected suffer isolation?
And they that are affected experience discrimination
Have we become so inhumane?
Allowing the stain of HIV to drive us insane
I am ashamed at how we have become desensitized
Feeling the need to segregate and stigmatize
Since we are infected one by one
Our time of responsibility has come
For too long HIV has threatened the extinction of humanity
Consistently increasing as the cause of mortality
Some infections occur medically
While others are the result of infidelity and issues of sexuality
This disease is not airborne
Yet our mind, body and soul has been torn
Sometimes I wonder why we feel pain
And why we complain when it rains
Why must we endure pressure?
To see that life is truly a treasure
All is takes is one unguarded moment
To be condemned to a lifetime of torment
Nevertheless, there is life with HIV
You choose to live meaningfully or in misery
To control our anxiety
We need to explore our natural state of purity
We are all answerable
To those that HIV has disabled
Men you are implored to honour the woman’s femininity
As women are beseeched to respect the man’s masculinity
The youths demand our accountability
And we are all to reverence each others divinity
In 2009
It is time
For us as a people to lay aside our fears
As we control this disease and wipe away the tears
It is a human right to a normal life
Thus this year’s theme is universal access without any strife
I advocate that there is a cure for the dreaded HIV
This is to embrace our unity and exercise morality