And Still I Rise

One evening as I made my way home I saw a wizened looking figure sitting at the roadside waiting for public transport. His entire skin was as black as if it had been painted contrasted by a blood red mouth. Something about him looked familiar and as I watched closely I realised he was from my old village. I later learnt he was the unsanitized face of AIDS.

The truth is given the access to antiretroviral drugs and the strides made in stalling the disease it was a shock coming face to face with that picture of AIDS. I think of him with sadness, not because he is part of the village in which I grew up but that he probably didn't know his status until it was too late. It is possible to live productive lives even if you have contracted the disease. Get tested people! It could be the difference between the unsanitized face of AIDS and your healthy looking one.

I know my status.Do you?