My husband loved Ray Davies to, I had a track by him played at my husbands funeral, it was days/this time tomorrow, performed with mumfordvand sons, brilliant version and the lyrics are quite poignant and always bring a tear to my eye but I still listen to it over and over x
Hi sic I had the Mumford and sons version for my husbands funeral x
Time and Tide
Time and tide waits for noneā¦
Make most from your life before itās gone.
Tides can be high or lowā¦
Life also goes on itās own flow.
Neither you can stop time, nor tideā¦
Take care of your lifeās ride before you slide.
Time is precious donāt waste itā¦
If you have some dream, go chase it.
Do not wait for so called right timeā¦
Sitting idle with this thought is biggest crime.
The right time begins once you startā¦
And you can hit the bullās eye in the dart.
Ruchira
Dirge without Music
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains, ā but the best is lost.
The answers quick & keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,
They are gone. They have gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.
Edna St Vincent Millay
4 Likes
Hi there hope you ok,not been on for a while,hope you are still finding your own way Kate x
Robina, how lovely to hear from you. Yes, Iām still finding my way, itās a long, long road we travel. How are you doing? Iāve thought of you often. Youāre posts were always interesting and thought provoking. Iāve missed you. Xxx
How We Survive
By Mark Rickerby
If we are fortunate,
we are given a warning.
If not,
there is only the sudden horror,
the wrench of being torn apart;
of being reminded
that nothing is permanent,
not even the ones we love,
the ones our lives revolve around.
Life is a fragile affair.
We are all dancing
on the edge of a precipice,
a dizzying cliff so high
we canāt see the bottom.
One by one,
we lose those we love most
into the dark ravine.
So we must cherish them
without reservation.
Now.
Today.
This minute.
We will lose them
or they will lose us
someday.
This is certain.
There is no time for bickering.
And their loss
will leave a great pit in our hearts;
a pit we struggle to avoid
during the day
and fall into at night.
Some,
unable to accept this loss,
unable to determine
the worth of life without them,
jump into that black pit
spiritually or physically,
hoping to find them there.
And some survive
the shock,
the denial,
the horror,
the bargaining,
the barren, empty aching,
the unanswered prayers,
the sleepless nights
when their breath is crushed
under the weight of silence
and all that it means.
Somehow, some survive all that and,
like a flower opening after a storm,
they slowly begin to remember
the one they lost
in a different wayā¦
The laughter,
the irrepressible spirit,
the generous heart,
the way their smile made them feel,
the encouragement they gave
even as their own dreams were dying.
And in time, they fill the pit
with other memories
the only memories that really matter.
We will still cry.
We will always cry.
But with loving reflection
more than hopeless longing.
And that is how we survive.
That is how the story should end.
That is how they would want it to be.
5 Likes
Hi Kate. There is so much in these words. Thank you so much.
Annette xx
I thought so too Annette. Iāve just bought a book of poems by Mark Rickerby called Inspiration. Alas, only available on Kindle - I would have liked a nice hard copy to dip into. Xx
So nice to see you again Kate and what a beautiful poem you have given us. I am now going to look for more of his work!
Often think you and hope that the waters are calm for you x
Ahh, bless you Amelieāsgran, how nice of you to say that. I do find a certain peace and calmness surrounded by the love of my husband, I feel so close to him. Often I am like a duck - appearing calm on the top but below the water Iām paddling like mad (like most of us I guess). Your drowning analogy sums it up. Sending love to you xx
Just beautiful , the words sum up every emotion of loss and how we should value those we still have in our lives to love.
Thank you Kate for the post.
xxx
Dear Sadone, Iām pleased you liked it. I came across it quite by accident and knew it was something special the moment I started reading. Itās strange how we find these things, as if it was meant to be. Much love xx
Thatās a great find Kate. Itās full of such obvious truths and as Iām just four weeks from the anniversary of Carolynās death I can fully understand all it is saying to me.
I donāt think it would have had the same impact earlier in my journey and maybe, for me, thatās to do with a level of acceptance. x
To those whom I love & those who love me
When I am gone,release me,let me go
I have so many things to see & do.
You mustnāt tie yourself to me with too many tears
But be thankful we had so many good years.
I gave you my love. and you can only guess
How much youāve given me in happiness
I thank you for the love you have shown
But now is the time I travelled on alone.
So grieve for me a while, if drive you must
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It is only for a while that we must part
So treasure the memories within your heart
I wonāt be far away for life goes on
And if you need me, call & I will come
Though you canāt see or touch me, I will be near
And if you listen with your heart,youāll hear
All my love around you soft & clear.
And then, when you come this way alone,Iāll greet you wit a smile & a āWelcome Homeā
I think this is a very comforting text hope you agree
2 Likes
Thankyou Kate for this poem. I feel it is written with true understanding. I am seven weeks away from the first anniversary of Johns death and I do cry with loving reflection more than hopeless longing. ( not always of course). Like Yorkshirelad I think our own acceptance comes into this.
I too have purchased Mark Rickerbys book though I havenāt looked at it yet.
Susan x
Iāve just spent some time re-reading this thread from start to finish. Thereās some pretty amazing stuff on here. Heart wrenching, thought provoking poetry. I read it all with much appreciation and understanding and not a single tear. Is this progress? Is this acceptance? Oh, donāt misunderstand me, I can still cry and do. Sometimes completely out of the blue. I can be sitting, walking, working, whatever and suddenly whoosh! There they are, the tears, never far away. But today I could read the poetry, almost drowning in their words, with an inner strength and it was a beautiful experience. Xx
1 Like
Iāve been reading as well and although Iām still at the tearful stage, Iām finding comfort. Many years ago, I read something which wasnāt talking about death but (I think) about a winter landscape, āBeauty, pared to the boneā. For me, good poetry is like that, it says everything, with the minimum of words. The quote wasnāt part of a poem but nevertheless, it seems to me to express a poetic truth.
Iām no expert but I donāt know how Iād cope without it, so thanks to all whoāve introduced me to the unfamiliar.
Dear Jeannie, Iām glad youāre finding a little comfort. Nothing can take away your pain so hold on to those little things that help. Sending you love and strength xx
Hi. This is so beautiful, so sad but also full of hope and a view to moving forward with treasured memories but in a positive way. So hard, but we can do it, one day at a time, asking for and finding help when we need it, and every day getting stronger and more able to cope.
Thank you for postingā¦such a thought provoking piece.
Annette xx