Joan Hall, Collage Artist/Lecturer/Poet

Resident at Westbeth since 1971

Remembering the Dead

In the hallway of the building where I live
There is a glass covered case
Listing names of deceased residents.

I am touched by the memory of Barton
My significant other minus the sex
Who I loved and who loved me.
I am touched by the memory of Hal
Yoga classmate and perpetual flirt
Who always lit up a room.

There are others from previous years
Reminders of dead occupants
Who live on behind the frame.

I want to smash the glass
Rip out the paper.
I resent the reminder ever present in that space.
I resent the reminder
That one day my name too
Will be in that cage of death.

Westbeth’s programming is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State. Westbeth is supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.