My first, last love
The idol of my youth,
The darling of my manhood. Tennyson
I was in my teens when I realised the man living with my Uncle for many years was his lover. They shared a bed and hosted gatherings, yet the truth of two men in love was smothered- typical of the 60’s and 70’s, fact was whispered and often lost amongst raised voices.
After Uncle’s death, outliving his partner, I salvaged his suitcase-full of treasured items and a couple hundred slides of visits to Capri, Venice and other 60’s-tinted locations. Small albums and slides revealed two men wearing gold bands on their second finger left hand. The eyes, mouths, and carefully placed hands of these husbands. Their bodies leaned in, hinting at intimacy amidst the hetero-holiday crowds they were part of, and apart from