My friend Daniella Woolf posted a tribute on her blog to her friend Kathleen Flowers, who had recently passed away. This tribute and poem was so lovely I wanted to share it with each of you. Our lives are such precious gifts. This is a gentle reminder to cherish each day we are given on earth.
She wrote this:
"On this lovely Easter spring morning, our dear friend and neighbor Kathleen Flowers left this earth. Kathleen was an extraordinary poet and being full of light and love. We are grieving along with so many people whose lives she touched. She leaves her adoring husband Howard, her mother, father, sister and brother, nieces. She taught kindergarten in the Spanish language immersion project. She touched the lives of so many children and parents who also adored and respected her. In just a few short minutes the poetry show on KUSP will be devoted to her. I chose one of her poems from Call It Gladness, her publication from the 2008 "In Celebration of the Muse" Chapbook Award publication."
Here is her poem "In These Five Remaining Days".
"In these five remaining days,
"On this lovely Easter spring morning, our dear friend and neighbor Kathleen Flowers left this earth. Kathleen was an extraordinary poet and being full of light and love. We are grieving along with so many people whose lives she touched. She leaves her adoring husband Howard, her mother, father, sister and brother, nieces. She taught kindergarten in the Spanish language immersion project. She touched the lives of so many children and parents who also adored and respected her. In just a few short minutes the poetry show on KUSP will be devoted to her. I chose one of her poems from Call It Gladness, her publication from the 2008 "In Celebration of the Muse" Chapbook Award publication."
Here is her poem "In These Five Remaining Days".
"In these five remaining days,
I see I've spent my life bellowing like a mule,
feeling broken beneath a burden that was mine to learn to carry
or the weight of another's I could not ease.
In these four remaining days,
the robe, that has been my body revels in its own unraveling.
Inside, a hummingbird hovers, half-inside a flower,
then zips away, stitching the sky with iridescence.
In these three remaining days,
I am still,
knowing what ripens below,
soon breaks through the duff,
finds some light-a rose-colored mushroom,
quietly glistens in the redwood mist.
On this, the second to last day,
I ride a riptide out to sea,
find myself fixed again to the ocean's umbilicus.
Rocked upon her heaving breast,
I taste the briny tears we share,
let go my thirst.
On this, my final day of living,
with every last breath,
I make a plea for the chance to hold aloft
a hundred more burdens,
a friendship to sip,
a forest to sit in,
singing thank you, thank you, thank you!
feeling broken beneath a burden that was mine to learn to carry
or the weight of another's I could not ease.
In these four remaining days,
the robe, that has been my body revels in its own unraveling.
Inside, a hummingbird hovers, half-inside a flower,
then zips away, stitching the sky with iridescence.
In these three remaining days,
I am still,
knowing what ripens below,
soon breaks through the duff,
finds some light-a rose-colored mushroom,
quietly glistens in the redwood mist.
On this, the second to last day,
I ride a riptide out to sea,
find myself fixed again to the ocean's umbilicus.
Rocked upon her heaving breast,
I taste the briny tears we share,
let go my thirst.
On this, my final day of living,
with every last breath,
I make a plea for the chance to hold aloft
a hundred more burdens,
a friendship to sip,
a forest to sit in,
singing thank you, thank you, thank you!
-Kathleen Flowers
7 comments:
this is so lovely and deeply moving...how did Kathleen die? was she sick?
Holly, I'm sorry I do not know the answer to that. I didn't know her but it seems she was a beautiful person who gave so much to others in her lifetime. I love this poem she wrote. When I read this I felt I had to share it because it reminded me of how day on earth that we have is a true gift. We should be ever greatful and I know you are!
Barb, what a lovely tribute, and a very moving and beautiful poem. Thanks for much for sharing these wonderful words. And for the reminder of what a gift we have in each day.
Beautiful and moving words,thanks for sharing,Barb.
Wow, what a powerful poem, what a gift to be able to express ones feelings so well. Thank you Barb, for sharing it.
What a beautiful poem. So bittersweet.
As it has been said, we need to live each day as if it is our last. More of us need to do that - myself included.
Oh, what a beautiful poem! It made me cry!
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