I am not much of a poet, although you can count on me for song lyrics. Difference: One is more structured, set to melody, and tells a story—and I have a knack for the latter. That said, my beloved sister Annette passed away unexpectedly 10 years ago today, and I wanted to give something to her three children—who also lost their father—and to my two other sisters.
So, sitting in the back of our car, I pulled out Galaxy Tab 11 Ultra, opened Google Keep, and wrote them a poem over the next hour or so. The verse is written to be emotive for a select audience. However, thinking about Mother’s Day tomorrow, the poem could be used for any other mum.
Always Annette
She walks in silence behind me
She’s there for you, too
No! She’s there for you more
In spirit, not like before
Stumble, she catches you
Sad, she hugs you
Proud, she shouts with you
Angry, she cries for you
Lost, she guides you
Selfish, she scolds you
Giving, she praises you
Afraid, she protects you
Being you, she loves you
Forever and always
She is with you
She is in you
She touches your face
Do you feel it?
Do you feel it?
Her warming embrace
Everlasting, everloving
Like an Angel of Light
She’s the mother forever
Crusader of what’s right.
Never asking, never taking
She serves from the heart
In silence she stays with you
She will never depart
Oddly, here are the music videos that YouTube’s algorithm played while I wrote this post. Live versions all: “My Immortal”, Evanescence; “Living in Another World””, Talk Talk; “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding”, Elton John; “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”; “Angels”, Robbie Williams; “Heaven (Live)”, Bryan Adams; and “You’re Still the One (Live)”, Shania Twain.
I don’t have a good photo of Annette as an adult, a quandary for illustrating this post. Then, early this evening, I shot several portraits of Kitty Puppy, using Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens. In the Featured Image, the cat looks up as if to Heaven. Vitals: f/8, ISO 640, 1/500 sec, 400mm; 5:53 p.m. PDT.