A Eulogy

With thanks to Clive....

 

It was a solemn occasion.
The sound of your wind, breaking,
was not welcome
and brought some disapproving glances.
But it made the children laugh.

It was a fitting send off,
a kind of blessing,
an honest summary of a life well lived.
Far better than those hollow platitudes,
said for sayings sake.

To be frank, about Frank,

he broke enough wind of his own,
enough to move a sailing ship stilled on a windless ocean,
or to blow the gargoyles off the church roof,
as his mother used to say.

I admired your courage.

It was impressive as it rose in volume,
like a Herald trumpeting his presence,
drowning out the distant birdsong
and the workman's drill.

Magnificent in its pitch

even Pavarotti  could not have held a note
so constant for so long.
Deserving of its own place in the order of service.

And now

consigned to family folklore,
a story to be told and retold
as it is handed down through future generations.

It was a solemn occasion.