The obituary notice of Frederick George PATTEN

(continued ....)

His lover will carry his man's scent, his touch;
his children will carry the weight of his love.
One friend will carry his arguments,
another will hum his favourite tunes,
another will still share his terrors.

And the days will pass with baffled faces,
then the weeks, then the months,
then there will be a day when no question is asked,
and the knots of grief will loosen in the stomach,
and the puffed faces will calm.
And on that day he will not have ceased,
but will have ceased to be separated by death.
How long does a man live finally?

A man lives so many different lengths of time.

Brian Patten


..... and lives on in the heart and memory of his stepdaughter.

With my love, Fred.

xxx

This was another favourite poem of Fred's about the temporary nature of the impact of human beings on this vast earth.

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.'

Percy Bysshe Shelley


I would respond to this more optimistically with a poem by
Brian Patten, who died only this week.

So Many Different Lengths of Time

'Cuanto vive el hombre por fin? Vive mil dias o uno solo?
Una semana o varios siglos? Por cuanto tiempo muere el hombre?
Que quiere decir 'para siempre'?
Preoccupado per este asunto me dedique a aclarar las cosas.'

Pablo Neruda


How long is a man's life, finally?
Is it a thousand days, or only one?
One week, or a few centuries?
How long does a man's death last?
And what do we mean when we say, 'gone forever'?

Adrift in such preoccupations, we seek clarification.
We can go to the philosophers,
but they will grow tired of our questions.
We can go to the priests and the rabbis
but they might be too busy with administration.

* * *

So, how long does a man live, finally?
And how much does he live while he lives?
We fret, and ask so many questions -
then when it comes to us
the answer is so simple.

A man lives for as long as we carry him inside us,
for as long as we carry the harvest of his dreams,
for as long as we ourselves live,
holding memories in common, a man lives.

(continued ...)

Remembering you particularly today, Fred, but also every day.

With love

Stephanie xxx

Happy Birthday, Fred, on this 81st anniversary of 'D' Day.

Always with me.

With my love

Stephanie xxx

Dear Fred

It's hard to believe we lost you five years ago today. What a wonderful coincidence it is that your clock is coming back to me today, all repaired and working - every chime will remind me of the time I shared with you and Mum.

You introduced me to so many poems - this one in particular seems all about you today:

'Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold: -
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
'What writest thou?' The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, 'The names of those who love the Lord.'
'And is mine one?' said Abou. 'Nay not so,'
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, 'I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men.'
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adem's name led all the rest.'

Leigh Hunt


Always in my thoughts. I didn't realise it had got so late, Fred.

With lots of love

Stephanie xxx