There is so much to say about ONE Magazine and the fact that MY Uncle was published in that magazine is beyond amazing!! He wrote a total of three poems that were published.
First off, a little about ONE Magazine…it was founded in 1952 and born from the Mattachine Society. The magazine ceased publication in 1967 but the ONE Institute continues to this day.
The name and tagline were derived from a poem by Victorian poet, Thomas Carlyle: “…a mystic band of brotherhood makes all men one.” According to the “About” page of the magazine, they were “A non-profit corporation formed to publish a magazine dealing primarily with homosexuality from the scientific, historical and critical point of view…books magazines, pamphlets…to sponsor educational programs, lectures and concerts for the aid and benefits of social variants, and to promote among the general public an interest, knowledge and understanding of the problems of variation…to sponsor research and promote the integration into society of such persons whose behavior and inclinations vary from current moral and social standards.”
ONE is the oldest active LGBTQ+ organization in the United States and is the first gay organization to have its own office, serving as the first LGBTQ+ community center. Did Victor hang out there? How did he come to write and publish for the magazine?
It is important to note that ONE was the first gay rights case to go before the Supreme Court in 1958; ONE Inc. vs. Olesen. That pesky Postmaster General, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Comstock Act of 1873! These were the same actors that led to Victor’s indictment as a part of the Sioux City case of 1965. There is so much more to be said about this groundbreaking organization. I highly encourage you to read more about the history of the Institute here https://www.oneinstitute.org/about-old/history/
Okay, now let’s talk about the poems. It is weird that you can know someone so well, yet, know nothing about them. I didn’t realize Victor was a “poet.” But is this really poetry? Or just random thoughts? I don’t know much about poetry, so I can’t say. Regardless, these “poems” mark the first time he was published in the U.S.
He never mentioned anything about this and I had no idea until after he had passed. I was going through his things and, to my surprise, found a copy of ONE Magazine and saw his name in the table of contents. I later realized he had published three poems in the magazine.
Victor loved attention and praise but he was rather shy and modest and didn’t brag about himself much. In his autobiography Spine Intact, Some Creases he is very nonchalant about being published in ONE. Had I known this earlier, I would have been bragging to anyone that would listen, “My uncle was published in ONE Magazine in the 60s”.
Now that you have the backstory, let’s take a gander at the poems.
June 1961, Vol IX, No. 6 “Small Talk”
I watched his face
Across the table, and
Longed to touch it;
To caress it with loving hands.
In silent adoration
I breathed love words,
And with my eyes I
Touched his every part.
His face lifted;
His eyes met mine,
His lips parted, and he asked
If I had read the headlines.
Of the three poems, this is probably my least favorite (though, of the three, the cover art is my favorite). I don’t dislike it…just not my fave. This could be the beginning, middle, or end of one of his mystery/detective stories. So much more can be said. It’s like one of those games we would play as kids, where one person starts a story and the next person adds to it (for you younger folks – these are the types of games we played before cable TV and video games).
September 1961, Vol. IX, No. 9 “Love Song”
His body was near me,
Blanketing me in its warmth.
“Are you there?” he asked,
And I answered “Yes.”
In the darkness his hand
Reaching out, touching mine,
And they clasped.
“I thought you’d gone,” he said;
And I said nothing, but
Lay, and held my breath,
And wondered who he was.
If you haven’t woken up the next morning and wondered who was next to you, can you say you have truly lived? I became sexually active during the AIDS crisis. While there was promiscuity, it was not on the level of some of the stories I’ve heard about the pre-AIDS days. A straight friend once told me that this poem describes a typical Saturday or Sunday morning back in the day – for many people, gay, straight, what have you. The worst that could happen could be cleared up with a trip to the doctor and some penicillin.
I don’t know if this poem is based on Victor’s actual experience…but I wouldn’t be surprised.
June 1962, Vol. X, No. 6 “Passing Friends”
He passed by me quickly enough,
Hardly noticing (I thought),
But paused, and in the glass
I caught a timid glance.
He lingered, not too near,
And thought, it seemed,
Of things that he might say
That we might meet.
He thought of it at last
And started, smiling, toward me,
But before he said hello
My bus (the last one) came.
This is my favorite of the three, maybe because it is so relatable to me. Who has not pondered – take the last bus or have a potentially interesting encounter? If the encounter goes awry, how are you going to get home? This was before Uber and Lift…and he’s taking the bus so cabs were probably out of his price range. I get it.
Overall, I just love the quirkiness of these random thoughts. I hope you enjoyed!
P.S. It has been difficult for me to write this particular blog. I feel guilty for not showing more interest in his work, his past, while he was alive.
I just watched a documentary about Rumi Missabu of the Cockettes. Towards the end of his life, he had interns that went through his archives. Why didn’t I do that for Victor? First of all, he didn’t ask and second, I didn’t know what I know now. I like to think that I was “off living my life” but was I really? I have so many questions for him and I truly miss him dearly!!
“Missed Opportunities”
I thought I knew you,
But how does anyone know anyone?
I knew your mom, sisters, and brothers.
I know your friends.
There is so much I want to ask you,
So many things I wish I would have said.
So many regrets I have about our last encounter.
You were truly an amazing individual.
I took you for granted so many times.
Now that you are gone,
I miss you every day!
-Love, Margaret
