Today, May 2nd, was my mum's funeral. It was an amazing turnout with the chapel absolutely packed, a lovely service and a chance, albeit for a sad reason, to catch up with family.
I also discovered my family had managed to create poetry where, so far, I haven't to celebrate her life. My daughter Naomi wrote this - her first poem other than the ones she may have been forced to create at school. She then, with great courage, read it out at the funeral service.
The Captain and the Ship
The
spray hits the mast,
damp
chill hanging in the air.
Drifting
in gloomy dark waters,
With
wind whipping through your hair.
The
ship takes hit after hit
As
the waves start crashing in.
A
feeling of being lost
Or
something like dread can creep in.
Yet
what’s good to remember
In
such a dire situation.
Is
the resilience of the captain
Out
there leading her nation.
For
if the ship was to crash,
End
up wounded and so broken.
She
will feel the pain right with it,
Whispering
words so softly spoken.
For
if the ship was to sink,
Seems
like it’s close to drowning.
She
stays right on board with it,
For
sense of familiar surrounding.
But
there’s lighthouses for storms,
beaming
through the swells that mock.
The
captain embraces the shine,
To
guide away from the rock.
She
calls upon the anchor
At
a timing so precise.
Not
so soon to limit freedom,
But
when staying still seems nice.
Then
cruising through the calm
Is
something not to miss.
The
captain takes it in her stride,
Absorbing
her tranquil bliss.
She’s
the leader, the protector.
Without
her things stand still
Yet
the ship must learn to drive itself
With
some strength and a bit of self will.
Naomi Fellows 2018
My sister Jill wrote this one, which I read out at the committal. She also wrote and delivered a fabulous eulogy. I love these poems - they have set a high bar for me to achieve when, I hope, my poem comes to me.
Looking For You
I'll look for you in all my milestones
Through the decades still to come.
I'll look for you throughout life's changes
All the races still to run.
And yet, I know that looking isn't needed,
For in so many moments, you'll be there.
You're there in every pink-tinged sunrise
Every golden sunset, every quiet prayer.
You're there in happy children's laughter
There in music, there in song;
You're in the gentle springtime breezes
There as summer days grow long
You're there in every bright dawn chorus
There as starlight fills the evening sky
You're there in winter's first crisp frosts, and
There in white clouds rolling by.
You're in the misty autumn mornings
There as waves break on the shore
You're there when friends all meet together
There beside me, evermore.
And when, in years to come
A younger hand with tender care
Takes my own, and holds it fast in theirs
I'll look for you, and You'll be there.
Jill Vavasour 2018