Honey's Lament

By jeand

Thu, 06 Nov 2014
  • 3576 reads
10 comments
 

She is dying, my cousin

Not long now to live

There's nought they can do

No hope they can give.

 

She was pretty, my cousin

When we were both young

Blond and so clever

Her praises were sung.

 

She was married, my cousin

But soon went away.

Canada was thought safer

Vietnam if they stayed.

 

Had a baby girl, my cousin

Adopted a son

Seemed to be happy

But she then craved fun.

 

She sings well, my cousin

A lovely deep voice

She dressed like a squaw

Indian songs, her choice.

 

Got a new man, my cousin

Played bass in the band

Her husband stayed put

Shared children and land.

 

O'er the Rainbow she sang

At her dad's last do

Happy Birthday to him.

For shame, said a few.

 

She cared for her mother

By making some soup

And stocking the rest of it

For the nursing home group.

 

She's dying, my cousin

She asked me to write

I don't know her well

Can't shed any light

 

Can't make her feel better

Can't help her to cope

Can't make up for years

Can't give her some hope.

 

I listened to her song

“Say it now”, it said

So I've said it now

Hope she will have read

 

She is dying, my cousin

Wish I'd tried a bit

To know her better

The last chapter's writ.

 

http://www.reverbnation.com/honeyhill

 

Here are some of the lyrics from her original song, Say it Now

 

If you want to tell someone you love them, Say it now, say it now.

You want to tell them that you're thinking of them, say it now

 

Cuz life goes by in the blink of an eye – You know what I mean

No time like the present, to tell them how you feel.

 

Want to give somebody flowers, do it now, do it now

Cuz life goes by in a matter of hours, do it now

 

When you're giving to the living, you get back what you gave

If you wait too late you might have to put them on their grave.

 

Anything you want to say or do or be, Do it now.

 

 

 

Certificate U
Poem
Poetry
Biography

Comments

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

A heartbreaker.  You give us an insight into a life lived to the full, lovely song too.

Submitted by jeand on

Thanks Helen

I find poetry very limitting. How can I possibly tell all there is to say about my cousin in a few words. We were never close - although I asked her to pour punch at my wedding - and my daughter stayed with her for awhile when she went to spend a few months in Winnepeg. But I admire her spirit and originality. She is nothing like me at all.

I was amazed when she divorced her husband in order to marry her boyfriend that they all agreed to stay together. Her husband had the basement area - which was a very acceptable flat and it meant he never lost contact with his kids at all. I couldn't have done that. But what a good solution it was.

Her adopted son is an American Indian - and when she went into the singing business, she also adopted the Indian lifestyle to an extent. So when she got cancer the first time, she went to her Indian medicine man rather than use the conventional therapies. And she thought she was cured. But then later she did have chemo and radiation, and still it came back.

Her father was her best friend - and she was devestated when he died. So was her mother of course, but she went against her mother's wishes in planning the music she would sing at the funeral. I can't tell you how shocked the relatives were when she came out with Happy Birthday. And when her mother became too senile to live on her own, she would come to visit her once every few months, and make 5 of so different kinds of soup in industrial portions, and have the nursing home freeze them all - so that her mother always had her homemade and very delicious soup each day.

Her mother and I corresponded a lot - after my mother died. And both my aunt  and my cousin urged me to write a book. I didn't think it would be possible, and then of course, eventually I did - and in fact wrote lots of books. But my cousin bought me a blank hard cover book when I last saw her (20 years ago now) and said that I must use it to write my first book. I didn't of course, I used it for writing grocery lists, but it wasn't long after that that I made my first attempt at writing seriously, but always on the computer.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

What a wonderful story!  I suppose, even if we don't realise it at the time, the main impetus to write is to mark lives lived, a celebration of the way we live and have lived, the strange thing it is to be human and mortal.

Submitted by Bee on

I really like your poem, Jean. And the words of her song are so moving and wise. 

Tears.

Bee

Submitted by jeand on

Thanks Bee,

She is very much one for sending cards and flowers - and she did that each week when her mother was in the nursing home. But she and her mother had a tempestuous relationship and couldn't have lived together.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Starfish Girl on

Love the repetition Jean. Written with lots of regret and sadness , beautifully echoed by the words of her own song.

Lindy

Submitted by jeand on

Thanks Lindy

She has chosen to have her music as her sort of inheritance of her life. She put several of her songs, including that one, on her Facebook site. I hardly ever use facebook, so only found it recently.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Bee on

I'm just listening to her now. Her voice is beauty. 

Bee

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

It is sad when we – gets more frequent as we get older – know people we knew a while ago are soon to die, and there's little opportunity for getting to know them more and encouraging them, except to put their trust in Christ for any times of illnes and the crossing of the river and the hereafter. At least he can see their need, as we pray blind. Her song seemed to touch on the brevity of life, but it still seems to take us all by surprise the older we get. It sounds as if she wanted to renew contact anyway. sympathies, Rhiannon

 

Submitted by jeand on

thanks Rhiannon

She certainly believes in God and afterlife - although I should think it would be very different from your ideas about it - or mine.

She did make an attempt to renew contact me with, and I was the one who was reluctant, as I hate Facebook, but I have contacted her now.

Jean

Jean Day