Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/85232
Poem by Alice Hooton Gravity You longed To live See children Grow A son Marry My dear Irreplaceable friend Nothing Can be done About your Unexpected slide Hovering Between dimensions Conversing With angels While you Labour Tethered By the pull Of all that Is earthly These Partings Are holding You back This poem is from a collection by Alice called Shamfeign. Shamfeign was written for Mona Bell who died of cancer two years before she was diagnosed. A poem by Joy Blair A collage in white Textures the wall Empty cups placed gently Line after Mathematically spaced – Snow-angels perfected White except for one With brave red Polka-dotted My tears well- Too soon This memorial On the far wall Rainbowed rows- A carnival Where contours strut- Give the fingers To life/death equations Joy wrote this poem after seeing an exhibition at the Mairangi Bay Arts Centre in 2008. The exhibition consisted of bras which had belonged to breast cancer patients, some who were survivors, some who sadly were not. And although the exhibition was very moving, it was also a positive statement of hope and celebration. 132: yourjourneys Poems Pink For my darling girls... To Lydia and Emily, 5 and 3 You know you mean the world to me Since those great days that you were born You've filled my heart and kept me warm Beautiful Lydia so much like me so loving and creative, its cool to see! And sweet wee Emily, just like your Dad So smart and funny, a joy to be had! I hold so many dreams for you Oh how I wish to see them through One day last year a lump was found And now I'm sad and feeling down My breast has gone and my hair too And now new lumps keep coming through Nothing the docs can do or say Can make the cancer stay away So now it's time to think and pray of how to keep you happy once I'm away My greatest wish I have for you is for you to smile and have fun too I'm so proud of you girls, you make me glad For all the wonderful times we've had So when that fateful day does come When I rise up to greet the sun I'll watch over you with love in my heart Wishing you through the pain at the start Please move on and live a great life and free your hearts from angst and strife These are my wishes I bequeath to you To be happy - then I'll be happy too. This poem was written by Sonia Tyler-Davies for her two daughters before she passed away on 23 December 2006, aged 38.