Patchwork Prose and Verse
In Dad’s final days, as he explained the speakers’ directives for his funeral, he told me it was my job to tell them that he would haunt them if they went over their allotted time. My brother explained why that might not be such a good idea.
even in heavy
moments we found some laughter
in the love of friends
In Dad’s final days, he was full of metaphors about life experiences and advice. Here, he shares what to do when we fumble the ball, after referencing the iconic high school yearbook photograph of him in the end zone, midair, arms up, eyes focused, reaching for the football.
The Plays You Fumble
you can’t catch every
pass but it doesn’t matter
the next play matters
when you drop one, you
get another chance
In Dad’s final days, he tells us stories. In this moment, he admits that he doesn’t have enough left. He realizes the end is very close. We assure him that we are not disappointed in him, that we are proud of him, and that we love him. While these are painful moments to relive, they help tremendously in the process of grief. I’m so grateful to have our voices of togetherness recorded so that they will always remain close and just a click away when I need them most.
Not Enough Left Nonet
no one was disappointed in Dad
when he didn’t have enough left
he’d been fighting a long time
and had lost too much strength
to go on living
we assured him
we loved him
and were
proud
Even though the days leading up to Dad’s death had some tears along the way, the laughter and the honest moments discussing the fine arts of bodily business got us through what could have been much sadder times. My brother and I found such humor in Dad’s way of putting things. He was a man of words, often high-brow words that no one else in the room knew, but every now and then he’d throw out a zinger of a word that left no question about its meaning yet still raised an eyebrow because it was so unexpected. The Reverend Dr. Wilson Felix Haynes, Jr., our dad, was a man who could talk backwoods Georgia slang and discuss the finer points of art by Michelangelo with layered meanings in scripture in the same 5 minute conversation, in which we also discussed the value of TIME.
Today, I share an acrostic poem inspired by the recorded conversation above.
On the Sculpting of David
T here’s an angel
I n this rock,
M ichelangelo
E xplained
In Dad’s final days, he shared words about his love of our mother with us. We are grateful to have had parents who loved each other their whole lives. In this conversation and in the audio clips we share today, we find great peace. Dad knew where he was going, and he knew he would be with her when he arrived. We’re confident today that he is there and that they have been reunited. In our grief, this brings us the greatest joy!
she was the love of
his life ~ Miriam Jones Haynes ~
as he was of hers
Here, he explains how he rejoins her now.
In Dad’s final days, we gathered audio clips to preserve his stories, prayers, and words of wisdom. In today’s clip, he shares about one of his favorite topics – The Springs of Elim – and how they worked in his own life.
fresh Springs of Elim
waters of restoration
reviving the soul
In Dad’s final days, he shared stories that my brother and I listened to and recorded as he told them. Here is one about how fast he was in his younger days:
He Wore His Fast Shoes
his mama told him
to go get a loaf of bread
his cousin Porky
said Felix flew out
the door and was back before
the door even closed
In Dad’s final days, he shared stories with us. I recorded them, and my brother and I are celebrating these memories and stories throughout the month of July. In today’s audio clip, Dad shares an acrostic he has written in the middle of the night using an acrostic from the Bible verse Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men……” using the word SHINE. Here is Dad’s middle-of-the-night acrostic poem:
Dad’s SHINE Acrostic
Set goals
Hang tough
Invest wisely (it’s not money….it’s time)
Nurture others
Empathize
He says the Jim Valvano speech is the best ever, and that we should all listen to it, so I’m linking it here: https://youtu.be/HuoVM9nm42E. Today, in memory of Felix Haynes and Jimmy Valvano, let’s all go out and laugh and think….and cry.
Our host today at http://www.ethicalela.com for the third day of the July Open Write is Jennifer Jowett, with guest Ann E. Burg. They invite us to write poems about moments in nature. You can read the full prompt here and check out the poems throughout the day.
Bat Crap Crazy
it’s okay ~
go ahead, think it ~
we all know
the better title
for this poem
and how that expression
originated out of bats
in the belfry and rabies
from the droppings and I
still Googled to see if
anything had changed but
it’s all still the same
kind of crazy it always was
where here on the
Johnson Funny Farm at
33°8’42″N / 84°25’33″W
in Williamson, Georgia
at 6:10 a.m. with clear
skies at 77° with the
moon cradling its
own light and winking at
Venus to its 5:00 position
due East of my front door
I stand on the
porch listening to the calls
of the Eastern Wood Pewees
from all the dead trees
that used to be their homes
now lying like corpses across
the acres and see our
one single solitary bat that
flies in endless circles
overhead
as it always does
from dusk to dawn
and I’m not sure
which of us
is the
bat shit crazier
…..oops
Today for the second day of the July Open Write, Jennifer Jowett of Michigan and Deborah Wiles of Georgia are our hosts. They inspire us to write I Once Knew poems, using a process they describe at this link. Hop over and read some of the poems that will be eclectic and unexpected. This is one such random poem process that is, what I believe, makes poetry shine and sparkle.
To Be Continued
I once knew Miss Sue
who taught me
how to swim in
her backyard pool
now filled in
with earth and flowers
I once stayed at
The Blue Swallow Motel
with the Swiss dot bedspread
and Moon Pies on the pillows
and t-shirts advertising
refrigerated air conditioning
as I drove Route 66
I swam in the Illinois
cornfield sunset
I swooned over the
coconut cream pie
at the Midpoint Cafe
in Adrian, Texas
I sweltered in the
Palo Duro Canyon
Texas heat
where even the road runners
know to sit in the shade
of the picnic tables
I sweethearted a
photo finish kiss
with my husband at
Cadillac Ranch
I swapped my beaded
quartz bracelet for one
made of turquoise and
mother of pearl
in Albuquerque
at the store with
the red war paint door
because it reminded me of
my mother
I swore to return to
finish the route
to be continued…..
Common Threads 