A Gay Senior Looks at His Death
When I die, my stories will end, and then my memories will be forgotten.
This essay was inspired by an episode of Vogue’s Objects of Affection, in which Lady Amanda Harlech takes Vogue on a tour through Karl Lagerfeld’s French home, which is filled with treasures.
When I die, my stories will end, and my memories will be forgotten. The things with which I surround myself in my Evanston, Illinois, condo will no longer speak to me or to my family, friends, and other visitors. Maybe some family and friends will remember some of my stories, and maybe the benefits of being a prolific writer are that more than usual, they may be remembered. Nonetheless, the condo will be quiet, and so will I.
Everything, or almost everything, in the condo, has a story behind it. The “5 W’s” + one “H” usually apply: who, what, when, where, and why … telling how it came into my possession? If asked, I am happy to tell you the story in detail or expurgate it if you wish.
In previous essays, you may have read about MICHAEL’S MUSEUM: A Curious Collection of Curious Treasures, a permanent exhibit at Chicago Children’s Museum on Navy Pier since 2011.
Since then, I have continued collecting and, in the end, have turned my condo into MICHAEL’S MUSEUM: Condo Collections…
