Inside Looking Out

By Jerry Eastbourne

JERRY EDWARD EASTBOURNE, born August 7, 1954
Akron, Ohio. My poetry is largely infl uenced by my learning disability,
dyslexia; therefore, making readers aware of problems I suff ered from
second grade into adulthood enduring endless torment and ridicule
from kids who labeled me, retard. Other factors are: my life as a Gay
man, struggles making friends, fi nding employment and housing, living
with HIV/AIDS and the end of a 25 year relationship with my fi rst love.
What I learned gave me the ability to be a volunteer and become a
board member in a HIV/AIDS organization, then president of a Gay/
Lesbian/Bi/Trans/Straight group for nine (9) years; educating people
from colleges, schools and PTA meetings about my life with HIV/AIDS
throughout the state of Oregon as well as the people, gay and straight
also infected and the friendships that were made and lost with their
deaths.
My own struggles of life and death because of lack of medication, severe
side eff ects, Viral Load in the millions, the low to zero CD4 count I lived
with for nearly 3 years. The many optimistic infections of my fi rst 14
years of the now 28 years I have lived with the disease. Nominated and
winning the Harvey Milk award, for my work to educate others about
sexual genders and HIV/AIDs through my lectures of living with the
disease as a Gay man.
Giving support for those who are friends or family of others infected.
Finding Love now 14 years together, sharing our love and life

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479787722

Jerry Eastbourne

Jerry Edward Eastbourne, born August 7, 1954 Akron, Ohio. My poetry is largely influenced by my learning disability, dyslexia; therefore, making readers aware of problems I suffered from second grade into adulthood enduring endless torment and ridicule from kids who labeled me, “retard”. Other factors are: my life as a Gay man, struggles making friends, finding employment and housing, living with HIV/AIDS and the end of a 25 year relationship with my first love. What I learned gave me the ability to be a volunteer and become a board member in a HIV/AIDS organization, then president of a Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Trans/Straight group for nine (9) years; educating people from colleges, schools and PTA meetings about my life with HIV/AIDS throughout the state of Oregon as well as the people, gay and straight also infected and the friendships that were made and lost with their deaths. My own struggles of life and death because of lack of medication, severe side effects, Viral Load in the millions, the low to zero CD4 count I lived with for nearly 3 years. The many optimistic infections of my first 14 years of the now 28 years I have lived with the disease. Nominated and winning the Harvey Milk award, for my work to educate others about sexual genders and HIV/AIDs through my lectures of living with the disease as a Gay man. Giving support for those who are friends or family of others infected. Finding Love now 14 years together, sharing our love and life.

Book preview

This Boy, This Man Within

Time for me to say,

I must go my own way.

Some would say,

It’s just the boy within.

Look down his past,

A history riddled in black and white.

Inside this man,

A boy looking for his roots of truth.

In side this boy, himself,

Wishing he was a man.

For then he would be proud to lend a hand,

Instead of whither and fade away.

Caught within his struggles,

Willing to learn but always sick.

And when all teachers have past him up,

The boy remains all alone.

Alone, the boy remain,

Within his own special world.

A place of honor with friends

A leader, a player, never afraid to be the first.

At home he’s like all other boys,

Ditching the books and needing to play.

Among his friend,

They all want to play.

The boy, now a young man,

Dazed and confused.

He’s labeled a genius,

And barely pass the 5th grade.

Knowing how far he’s behind he fights to catch up.

He dug down deep within,

Finding his soul, to survive and mend.

He’s a young man, with few friends.

He spends his time, expressing his inner self.

Alone in his room, with the door close behind him.

As to shield or protect, his feeling into words.

A boy into manhood, showing deep emotional scars.

Finding hope within his words,

Of the boy within himself and the man he wants to be.

October 26th 2011—JE Eastbourne

My Very Close Friend

She’s one, who shares within,

The life of which we were born.

A match a like and different

But a leader of her own.

Her family values,

Engraved by those who love her.

With room to grow

Within her life travels.

She has climbed the mountain many times

Each climb being better than the one before.

Each resulting with a love left behind

Still she goes forth with head held high.

She’s a forerunner in her business field

Adorned with the many awards she has earned.

Still she strives to be number one.

She has learned to live within the levels of her life.

Like a tree with branches stretched wide.

Each a story within its own time.

The same is said, of her multi-faceted life she leads.

She shares herself with others

And some less fortunate than ourselves.

To me she’s a great humanitarian

With tireless devotion of those in need.