Musings and Nature Photos of 79 Fascinating Years

Musings and Nature Photos of 79 Fascinating Years

By Jon Van Loon

Copyright 2016, Jon Van Loon

Shakespir Edition

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The poems were written in large part in praise of family and often in the memory of other special people that enriched my life. Mo, the name most frequently encountered is my wife of 55 years. The fact that she endured and loved me despite unpleasant fallout from my bipolarity and learning disability defines her better than any tribute I might write.

Throughout my 79 years I struggled with God and religion. A few discoveries during my career as a Professor occasioned me to have lived and worked in a variety of jurisdictions on 6 Continents. This broad exposure to life as it really is in most of the world has left me in my waning years if not an outright atheist at least a ponderous agnostic. A few of the poems reflect this transition.

I certainly do not claim anything near excellence as a poet yet I present this collection with the view that the reader might enjoy and perhaps relate to my ramblings on life and the lives of a few good people.

Selections of my favourite Photos are interspersed with the poems to allow the reader to enjoy views of nature as a respite to deliberation of the written word. These offerings depict tableaus that caught my eye from locations in The Greater Toronto area and the Gulf coast of Florida.

 

 

 

Poems and Photos

 

 

 

For Mo

Success is mine

Entwined with thine

Our hopes aspire

With one desire

 

All troubles flow

To depths below

In sweet embrace

With joys replace

 

Though damns of woe

Would end the flow

This steadfast heart

With thee departs

 

In lasting bliss

From Heaven’s kiss

Together wend

Until the end.

 

 

 

My Deepest Feelings

Love is too vacuous a word to properly express

My true feelings for my family

In life I lost my way from time to time

And even my love must, to you.

Have seemed gone.

 

Yet in all my muddle I promise

This aurora was still all encompassing

Hopefully the overall picture was clear

And if I could I would invent

A stronger more powerful concept

To indicate the sweet fragrance I wanted

To envelope you in.

 

My incapacity to live a life

Free from deplorable errors

Many times, was my deep regret

But your love for me’

Even then was deeply felt

You cannot know how much

That really meant.

 

I can promise that I remained true

To you always and will endlessly

 

To die and leave so much of importance

Unsaid and undone

Is inexcusable and my greatest sin

Yet perhaps I did a little good

If this is so try to remember

This was my true goal

 

When I am physically gone

I hope my deficits will also dim

 

And as you scatter my dust in the welcoming

Microscopic molecules, containing the good in me

Will alight within you all

 

And you will feel an indefinable positive

Giving you strength

Forever!

 

Because of my family I am happy.

 

 

 

To Feminine Beauty

You see she is behind yon greening tree

Oh yes and in the tender budding rose

Within all realms of nature she doth repose

Fair heavenly thing she’s there for all to see.

 

With soothing words and tender phrases

Breathed softly when the lights are dim

She moves my heart to her so light and trim

And takes my thoughts from all the worldly masses.

 

Oh love which steals from me my very heart

Hold her forever in my yearning arms

Keep me fast within her many charms

And bind us Steadfast that we may never part.

 

She’s at the very root of nature’s beauty

Here’s where I found loves most precious booty.

 

 

For what are WE

For what is LOVE ?

Tis not an outward sign

Or Hope For Moments joy

But Flows like silver streams

From roots so deeply cloven

Within the corners of the soul

To pass beyond eternity

Up to the Holy realms of heaven

 

For what is FAITH?

It is the very root of love

Two souls entwined as one

Real faith is eternal trust

Prevailing against destruction

As sure as day and night

Shall follow morn and noon

So shall my faith be you.

 

For what is HAPPINESS?

Not merely love or faith

But wafts gently in the breezes

From the very source of these

In understanding so vast

That Life together becomes

As necessary as food and drink

For the survival of the entire self.

 

 

 

Age

For what is age?

Tis but a state of outward body

Never noticed in the soul

Never shown in final role.

 

Should I die today, tomorrow

He was so young whoever knoweth

What matter what appearance showeth

The inner man is all that growth

 

And then in love tis not array

For time shall cut us to the core

But deeper love will inward pour

To find the inner self display

 

Six years between is but a day

As love has hid this far away.

 

 

Together

New love embalms a tired soul

The twisted root of life refreshed

From former follies iron grasp

Released again from devils clasp.

 

We stand transfixed before the throne

Our evil selves asleep at last

Buried deep within the past

In the spirit of this hallowed hour.

 

How sad it seems that this must pass

Like heavy breath of summer air

That warms the sands on yonder beach

Retreats before the chilly blast.

 

So soon the symbols disappear

And minds return to worldly cares

For bitter combat man prepares

As Satan’s venom spurs him on.

 

What matter if the course of life

Leads to and fro from peace to war

True love will rise above the strife

And stitch our hearts with firmer bonds.

 

Thus here at last our sweet retreat

Is cast against the normal course

Together mounting to the source

Of boundless hope and happiness.

 

 

 

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To Loving Family

Today I fell from grace and all seems gone

A moment’s beauty lost within the throng

Another leaf is left without a song

And all about the world is wrong.

 

The darkest days of life enclose around

Misfortune mocks where welcome once was found

And hopes are few and petty pains abound

A troubled heart with deeper hurt is crowned.

 

With heavy heart from pleasures peak I fell

To take my turn with anguish wrought in Hell

Confined within a dismal deathly shell

Waiting long to hear sweet freedom’s bell

 

All this is past as darkness into light

For you my kin have helped to end my night.

 

On Choosing a Vocation

Oh Lord what shall I do?

My mind from tangled hopeless goals

In full confusion seeks my role

That I may find the cherished Knoll

Of success.

 

Why am I not like others Lord?

Ne’er muddled but forever clear

That it is Thy voice I hear

In whispers saying not to fear

Bur travel on.

 

What must I do?

My restless mind weaves to and fro

Between vocations high and low

I seek to find a middle row

But travel on.

 

You must trust and wait

Some night when stars from darkness gleam

Your mind may fall upon the beam

And rest assured that in your dream

Your Answers found.

 

Illumination

We sit as sojourners on the road of life

Where death as sure as sun shall rise

Exists like darkening shadows stalking from behind

Our lives like puppets are controlled

By powers above whose skilful hands

Exert diurnal actions.

 

The mind though free to think

Is bound by mortal matter to conform

Within the earthly scope of senses

Thoughts of abstract realms

Like youthful fantasies of imagination

Are pure conjecture.

 

Truth exists but is never ascertained

Like a bottomless pit we never find

The true foundation rooted firm

Until that spirit fills our very soul

Which flows like heavy mist or pungent odour

To the outermost corners of the heart

 

Meaning then like glowing dawn

Illuminates our lives with hope and truth

Our fettered limbs are free at last

To move beyond material bonds

Imprisoned souls like ripened seeds are cast

Upon the fertile soil of eternity.

 

The Meaning

Who hangs on yonder tree

Twas he who died for me

 

My careless labours cost

His life for me was lost

 

When worldly care enshrouds

And petty pain abounds

 

In shame his hands I see

Pierced deeply through for me

 

Forgiveness for the human race

Expressed upon his face

 

His message ringing clear

Rebounds for all to hear

 

The body fain must lie

But the soul shall never die

 

 

 

Ode to a Geologist

( Or why I became a Chemist)

 

Four months of ceaseless wanderings done

Through nature’s heartless wringer wrung

From here to there I’ve been and come

Within this spacious forest jail.

 

These boots with ragged soles or’ run

Draped round my feet, torn by the rock

From miles of useless pacing’s done

Mid seas of trees and rancid swamp.

 

And when at night I lay my head

Beneath yon granite cliff above

Upon that rock as cold as death

I hope with all my heart and soul.

 

O death come take this lifeless life

Come place thy icy finger strong

That fiery Hell my home so sure

Much better than this living death.

 

Mother’s Day (Lisa, Melissa, Laura)

Oh those bright and early halcyon days

When carefree thoughts and deeds are the way

And married couples engage in light hearted play

But soon plans for family enter into the fray

 

Then comes the first baby with many surprises

Sleepless nights and hectic days are followed by endless reprise

Problems at school and children’s relationships unexpectedly arise

Complicated oft times by adult disorders replacing earlier prizes.

 

Teen years filled with foibles seem to descend from above

Yet at times mothers and children fit together as in a tightly fitted glove

Especially when teens write or vocalize unexpected parables of love

Then, oh my, independent thinking flutters in like a dove.

 

Even with all the dilemmas these times are best

For all too soon they end up with an empty nest.

 

 

 

 

A Loving Legacy

Sweetly, surprisingly a gentle fragrance blew

And when we glimpsed, 2 lies grew

Between them suspended as a dream

A child appeared.

 

She meekly smiled and reaching out

Touched tenderly a willing cheek

As if to present assurance of a promise to fulfill

A life of contribution, creativity, compassion and excitement

But best of all, love and kindness.

 

Fittingly and thoughtfully the named her Maya

The essence of joyous vitality.

 

Our aging hearts extend

An indulgent and kindly salutation

With fervent hope that she

Will retain us always within her mind

And our hopes and loves for Maya and her eternal happiness.

 

(from Gram and Granddad Van loon)

 

 

Cathy P.

 

More gentle than recumbent summer wind

She whispers encouragement around us still

In this worldly garden she no longer tills

 

Yet her eternal presence much stronger is

Indeed she is much closer now

Because we need not wait for physical presence

Her sweet love it lingers in every corner

Of this temporary playpen in which we stay.

 

Ever faithful, never far, she offers guidance

And sweet breeze of hope lets us communicate

In love our minds can still entwine

Much surer presence coming from within

From that great crossword puzzle of the mind

 

Her outstretched hand to us implores

Make thy important contribution there on earth

Then come and join me in God’s great tapestry of the soul.

(for Nels and the Patterson families)

 

 

Mo on Valentine’s Day 2008

 

You remind me of a tropical butterfly

With gorgeous wings

But unlike the butterfly

Your colours and movements

Become more stunning with age

 

The succulent and fragile flowers

Upon which you dine

Are mirrors of your

Genuine inner beauty

 

Bound up yet ever growing

Within.

 

Somerset’s Promise

A unique seed is planted in the ground

Where no useful garden could be found

Though initial worries and difficulties abound

Sweet flowers of promise soon will mound

 

Somerset is a timely garden of the mind

Where kindly tillers impart skills of a special kind

And tender shoots with knowledge soon shall twine.

So within these fertile fields a more satisfactory way will find

 

Our children are mankind’s most treasured hope

Unlike our generation they shall not uselessly grope

In finding new solutions to problems will better learn to cope

So through life’s twisted alleyways shall more quickly lope

 

Maureen and her staff will skilfully lead the way

The many obstacles toppling like new mown hay

In their special methodologies sweet promise plays

Bringing this world real hope for much better ways.

 

 

 

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For Mo on the Occasion of Her Retirement

Some years ago a unique garden was planted with love, solicitude and expertise

Through a diligent tilling and fertilizing of the soil

A culturing school arose tended by multidisciplinary experts

Here-in prospered a plethora of young people

Through stringent, expert, programming steeped in a caring atmosphere

Emerged graduates whose success in their education and vocations

Is a testament to the skills of the director and her team.

 

Notably many of these benefactors arrived with difficulties

Undiagnosed and untreated in other jurisdictions

Being beyond normal bounds of a conventional level of expertise

It could have been expected that a lower level of success might be forecast

But through testing, unique caring, help and fortification of esteem

Many of these special students achieved at expected or better levels.

 

Upon retirement Maureen can look back with pride at these unusual achievements

With a satisfaction, the level of which is often fortified by unexpected and enthusiastic

Visits of her benefactors many of whom are now in prominent positions

But retirement is not just a retro viewing phenomenon

A future unfolds still within and outside this jurisdiction

In which her carefully honed talents can continue to guide her successors

Providing not only a groundwork for a new and continuing flourishing era at Somerset

But also continued, personal, nourishing interaction with young people

Whom she continues to love and respect and to provide expert guidance.

 

Ode to Gentle Ben

(Friend and patient, Cummer Lodge)

 

So Many exemplary attitudes he had

About whose life we can find little sad

 

Inspirational and intellectual in so many ways

Always smiling and positive throughout his days

 

Nurses workers and friends he loved in kind

But his family he held highest within his mind

 

Deeply missing his wife he had difficult times

He talked of their fragrant love producing life’s rhymes.

 

Humorous and forgiving despite deepening pain

His generous and forthright attitude became our cane

 

He held us loftily way above ourselves

Despite his importance mostly mute about himself

 

Ben has left us behind much bereaved by his loss

But he would be angry if long we mournfully tossed

 

So let’s celebrate and assimilate his wonderful gifts

Thus making it easier through life’s problems to sift.

 

 

 

 

Ability

The beauty of a fragrant rose

May be discerned even in darkness

Thus achievement arises

On its own merits

Divorced from misconceptions of disability.

 

“Invisible” celestial objects

Are detectable from radiation

Of other wavelengths

Ultimate ability is indiscernible both

Through visual and biochemical means

 

Success is the property of

Human endeavour driven by

Strength of desire, resourcefulness, perseverance

Denial of handicap and physical boundaries

 

Ability and disability are not related.

 

Celebrating a Special Memory

A lingering scent of flowers

From a native Melbourne garden

Still embraces our souls

Like the fragrant memory

Of the accomplished gardener

 

Another testament an esteemed family

Tenderly cultivated bearing fruit

Engendered by the husband and loving wife

Through their formative years

Ensuring a delightful immortality

 

Beyond us now a man uniquely gifted

With many stellar abilities in Research Science

Most importantly he could evoke optimism

Enveloped in humour and hope

Uniquely exuded during most dire circumstances

To envelope the hearts of his fortunate intimates

 

For those yet struggling here behind

His memory remains a guiding star

A paradigm of courage through tormented time

For us this challenge to attempt to emulate

 

Such an imposing monument shall never crumble

Peter, your life made our world a finer place.

(For Peter Larkins)

 

Relapse

Sometimes bad dreams

Become reality

That’s when life seems

A banality

 

Sweet familie’s love

So badly used

Like storm blown dove

So badly bruised

 

Wounds heal in time

If success becomes mine

My love then entwines

Becoming Thine.

 

 

My Neighbours

Move over neighbour here I come

I’m going to find salvation for the world

Get off the road neighbour

Can’t you hear me honking my impatient horn?

 

I really hate you, neighbour

You have all the weakness I abhor

Like dishonesty, selfishness, greed etc. Etc….

Oh I won’t say this in your presence

But behind your back I talk, Oh do I talk

I’m even friendly

When we meet across the fence or at a party

Face to face

 

Why are you not good like me?

I do many good things every day

For example I love my dog

In fact I often treat my dog better

Than my neighbour

Dogs are lucky animals

They are loved by me

Dogs expect very little from me

So it is easy to love my dog.

I love my wife, my children and my money

And especially I love myself

 

To get along with you, neighbour

I would have to deny myself a little

So I hate you neighbour

You and all your many problems

 

You know, neighbour

If you could change and act good like me

The world would improve very rapidly

It’s little day by day shortcomings like yours, neighbour

When accumulated

That result in major worldwide confrontations

Can’t you see this, neighbour?

Don’t you realize that we daily court disaster

And our children may be doomed

Just as surely as if you turned the Knife yourself

 

I’m good, neighbour

If everyone was good like me

What a world it would be

 

What is that distant rumbling I hear?

To Hell with you then neighbour

I still hate you with all your imperfections

That rumbling in my ears is it growing?

What is this sudden heat?

Help! Help! Neighbour

I guess I can’t do this all on my own

Please forgive my hate

What’s that you say?

It’s too late?

Oh no!

It never was too late before

How did it get to be too late, now?

 

Western Canada Life

Sweet prairie winds waft gently by

Between the pastures peaks and endless sky

In silver rows the pillows ply

As through the blue the blackbirds fly

 

The golden grain in endless gardens grow

As straight standing soldiers row on row

Luxuriant kernels burst before the blow

Of bronzen natives as they mow

 

Black gold seeps deep within the soil

While burley roughneck’s sweat and toil

Nature’s sandy sediment to foil

As tycoons bulging pockets boil

 

These stalwart western peoples live

This country hope and blood to give

 

 

Wawota

(A town in Saskatchewan from which I worked)

 

Between horizon’s end and dusking sky

Where once Apache blood was rudely shed

Ten thousand Native Canadian feet across prairie plied

And obedient came before his echoing call

 

Once strong he stood before triumphant tribe

Proud feathers standing prone from shining head

He fearless fought in quest of glories bough

While shod in hope eternal grasped for victory

 

White waters gently pass before his grave

Wild winds whistle vociferously in the darkening bush

And shout his name above the approaching evening hush

Wawota, Wawota last vestige of Natives dying prairie hope

 

Vast seas of foreign grain wave boldly forth

Steel oxen ploughing rows of endless soil

Replace his silent world of long lasting peace

As progress plunges deep its deadly coil.

 

 

East Heathcote (Sydney NSW)

A lonely frog beneath my window sang

To inveigle female from amongst the gangue

His voice like a gigantic bell did clang

And I could not sleep while thus he rang.

 

The dawn was summoned by kookaburra’s laughing song

This awoke sulphur crested cockatoos who screamed like bongs

Next saucy Curawongs arrived to join the throng

All this cacophony was conducted by Noisy Miners amongst the Guangdongs

 

Amidst these screeching our days would unfold

Stumbling blindly and shivering because of the winters toe hold

We did out toilet lavishly using perfumes so bold

Then cruised down Boronia Grove bombarded by rays of Gold.

 

At a new Spectrograph I spent my Sabbatical days

With fellow scientists trying to unravel the spectral maze

Of poisonous metal compounds in samples that could cause malaise

The sub continent’s environmental conscience to raise.

 

Pat’s Sonnet

Like the first caress of spring she blessed us

Through trial and tribulation she inspired us

Into the great matrix of life she led us

In hope and understanding she left us

 

When I erred in her handling she blessed me

Often in troubled times she soothed me

Her peace like precious jewels she bequeathed me

With her forever love she enwreathed me

 

Her multitudinous skills she dedicated to Thee

Particularly through her art work she glorified Thee

Each brush stroke carefully delivered for Thee

Through such devotion she lead many to Thee

 

Although her exemplary early pathway has ended

Her sweet perfume with life’s elixirs still is blended.

(In memory of Pat (Pansy) Briginshaw Cummer Lodge)

 

To Mary Agnes B.

(Tribute to a respected colleague)

 

Butterflies flit more delicately in Spring

Harnessing fresh air currents with fragile wings

A riot of colour like the flowers to which they cling

But no butterfly more breathtaking or dainty than you

 

An eagle slingshots toward its prey

Fearlessly one on one in a loners way

He wards off all pretenders who would join the fray

But no eagle so diligent and independent as you

 

The wounded lioness defends her young

Hissing and spitting over bloodied tongue

Like this she fights till the last post has rung

But no lioness so single-minded and courageous as you.

 

 

In Quest of Hope

Is your life without eternal hope?

T’is then a jumbled contradicting pause

In which one struggling strives to cope

With earthly matters mixed in worldly cause

 

Doubts and fears will frolic wild within

And answered queries now and yet unanswered still

Remain a ceaseless clog to free belief

And full acceptance of the makers will

 

You ask me why affliction must lay its stripes

Upon our flickering and ever fading flame

Of faith which is the gift of him

Whose solicitations we wish within our very selves to tame

 

My friend remember thousands struggle thus

And ply for truth upon the troubled sea

Of tangled worries fraught with untold fear

As looming round each obstacle another one appears

 

Why worry thus for is not God above?

With willingness to aid made manifest in love

He offers boundless hope to all his earthly sons

By trust in him received through flawless faith

 

He holds the key to every question asked

We need not ponder postulates of men

Naught but confusion is the end in this

Place doubts on God he gives eternal bliss.

 

Immortality

Weep not for me when I shall die

For I am part of thee and much, much more

Touching you through every minute unlike before

My eternal love now comes from within

Open up your mind and let’s begin

 

Feel me in the enveloping breeze

As with clouds of petals I thee tease

Sun’s rays the warmth of my cares

I call you on the gentle spring rain

Such ethereal ambiance to thee impart

I pledge my love, its healing will never depart

 

See beyond earth’s lifeless visage

For I have gone to be with flowers

In a forever garden I shall kneel

Embracing tender buds with gentle hands

These delicate beauties reminding me of thee

Here we shall meet when you are come

 

And I have arrived to be with mom

As she works her wonders still

Might I be blessed enough to help?

Through grassy glades and sun drenched knolls

Hand in hand we float

 

I still feel your love as you can mine

Just imagine being in my arms to fill all needs

And listen for my voice from within thy soul

I pledge my deep devotion forevermore.

 

Seeking

The crooked talon reaches

To choke the life of babes

Devils doctrine reaches

Everyone

 

True beauty alive within a rose

Is but a mirror of autumns death

As brown upon the lawn repose

The remnants

 

True meaning is expressed

Perhaps in death

All physical being is repressed

In living soul

 

 

 

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Winter’s Day

Each tiny flake of white descends

By gentle breath the scenery blends

Awakes a season twinkling bright

A silver cloth reflecting light

 

Yon barren poles of brown and white

Repose in nature’s glistening sheet

A guarded sleep from winter’s night

Until new life the sun entreats

 

Half wakened forms from peaceful nest

In quest of morsels strewn aside

Come wandering forth into the scene

To take their place among the rest

This rugged beauty pouring forth

Imparts to world celestial garb

Woven above by heavenly rhyme

God’s gifts to man at winter time.

 

Family Strength

When we have a rotten day

Everything seem to be in the way

Of life’s enjoyment

 

Yet sure as morning sun will rise

This day will pass with new surprise

Of great improvement

 

So family fear not that all seems black

If not tomorrow then soon will peak

Life’s further pleasures

 

Remember we love each other so

Thus no matter what the blow

We will remain steadfast together forever.

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The Horrible day

When we have a rotten day

Everything gets in the way

Of life’s enjoyment

 

Yet sure as morning sun will rise

This day will pass with new surprise

Of great improvement

 

So Missy fear not that all seems black

If not tomorrow than soon shall peak

Life’s further pleasures

 

Remember your family loves you so

Thus no matter what the blow

We will be your friends forever

 

 

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Rob

Today the pulse of nature skipped a beat

And Algonquin’s majesty is temporarily dimmed

In reverence to a fallen mate.

Far away on Scotland’s hills

A sprig of heather suddenly rises

To stand proudly above the rest

It’s brilliant colours a silent salute

To a long ago but treasured ubiquity.

Who was this man we now salute? His

Honesty, diligence, kindness, friendship and love

While heralding his wife as best friend

Are only a few of his many special traits.

In work, he did not attempt to stand out within the crowd

Preferring quietly to toil and leave a deeper mark

A lasting testament to his special brand of competence

Within the hearts of those of us

Who caught his treasured approbation and respect

He remains a sustaining prototype

That reshapes our actions to better form.

Particularly we tarry bathed in humour

His special gift

Providing a source of uplifting distraction

Through toughest times upon which to cling.

A perpetual legacy herewith he stands

Always there on a higher ground

Upon which we can climb to grasp

His lasting essence,

To help regain our flagging hopes.

Most importantly, he yet prevails

An indestructible balustrade

Against which to lean in times of need

To provide a source of timeless comfort

For his cherished and adoring kin.

 

 

 

Ability

The beauty of a fragrant lily

May be discerned even in darkness

Thus achievement arises

On Its own merits

Divorced from misconceptions of disability,

 

“Invisible” celestial objects

Are Detectable from Radiation

Of other wavelengths,

Ultimate ability is indiscernible both

Through visual and biochemical means,

 

Success is the property of

Human Endeavour driven by

Strength of desire, resourcefulness, perseverance

Denial of handicap and physical boundaries,

Ability and Disability are not related.

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In Memorandum to Misunderstanding

For what is Love

Tis Not an outward sign

Or hope for moment’s joy

But flows like silver streams

From roots so deeply cloven

Within the corners of the soul

To pass beyond eternity.

 

For what is Faith

It is the very root of love

Two souls entwined as one

Real faith is eternal trust

Prevailing against destruction

As sure as day and night

Shall follow morn and noon

So shall my faith be you.

 

For what is Happiness

Not merely love or faith

But wafts gently as the breezes

From the very source of these

In understanding so vast

That life together becomes

As necessary as food and drink

For the survival of the entire self.

 

 

 

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Remembering the First Twenty-Five

Behold, 25 years ago a fertile field was first sown

By 2 young Lovers filled with joy and hope

Throughout the years a complex tapestry was grown

Resplendent in both dandelions and lovely flowers.

 

Above all else e orchids bloomed, dear Lisa, Melissa and Jon

These priceless gems much more than we deserved

Have brightened our lives with love completely.

 

Sweet and sour but mainly fragrant

Recollections now pervade our minds

 

To Wit

Endless joyous days of summer play

Mixed with eucalypts, wattles and brightly coloured birds

Enjoyed with generous kindly friends that is Australia

 

To Wit

Too many loved ones lost along the way

Sweet mothers, gommy, grand dad and Cliff

Beyond our reach but forever within our grasp

They are immortal.

 

To Wit

Times spent together enjoying

Children cottage boating driving and the dogs

It gives us everlasting strength.

 

To Wit

Pride in each other’s accomplishments

That piquant knowledge that an accomplish however small

Has been made.

 

Is this not adulation?

 

But reflection back must not eclipse

The challenge yet to come

Because yesterday is but the steppingstone into tomorrow

Our intricate fabric is far from completely done

What love s what sadness what joys yet await?

And to these further weavings

We pledge our love and boundless energy

To great the next 25 still hand in hand together.

 

Post Script

Now 26 years after this period

I can confirm that in our elderliness

Unbridled youthful infatuation still lives.

 

 

In Praise of Spencer

Beyond human understanding horrid events occur

As a mighty oak is felled by tornadic winds

So our dear friend was swept away

Leaving an eternal void impossible to fill.

 

Here in sadness those he loved and who loved him

Are left to try to cope with life now bereft of a cornerstone

After all he was unique, so quiet, yet skilled and clever

So full of life, gentle, thoughtful, loving and kind.

 

A wise man once said

Our task in life is to leave our territory in life a better place

Leave those we know and love

Better for he having lived amongst them

 

In this our dear friend you excelled

Spencer, you greatly enriched our lives forever and we miss you terribly.

 

In Loving Memory

 

 

 

 

 

 

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