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Tuesday, February 6, 2018

MAKING ROOM



He was a big deal
in his chosen field
passed away suddenly
is all the obit would reveal

below was a place for comments

and condolences 
you could leave online
most from peeps I didn't recognize
they knew him professionally
all business ya know
I knew him pre-professionally
I knew him from the front steps
of the schoolhouse 
a bunch of us 8 year-olds
gathered round 
listening to him chant:
am I crazy...am I silly...
will I eat a pic-a-dilly
he was on a roll
improvising his own nonsensical rhymes
that still make me grin today

in our little movie theater
kids shouting witticisms at the screen
his voice leading the charge
we were forerunners of the Rocky Horror 
audience participation phenomenon 
(no matter that it was 
Singin' In The Rain playing)

so amongst all the somber comments
and long-winded condolences
I wrote simply: 
John will always be remembered,
to those of us who knew him from childhood, 
as the funniest kid in our class

not so good a thing
of course
to remember the dearly departed
from that far back
it means you're close on the heels
most likely

I still don't know
what this life is for
but maybe the best we can do is to
fire off a few clever lines
then get off the stage
(always leave 'em wantin' more)
to make room 
for that next joker in line 

33 comments:

  1. Yes! Leave them smiling! Leave them finding their own humor to bedazzle bleak.

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    1. Let a smile be your umbrella, and you'll always have a wet face!

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  2. Those who leave us asking, "So, what happens next?" will never die.

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    1. Make your life a real cliffhanger. Thanks, Magaly.

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  3. ... awesomely sensitive words ... and ... welcum 2 da club, friend ... Love, cat.

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    1. Thank U my dear. Don't really wanna join that club, but we're not really given a choice :)

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    2. ... k, so suppose if you were given a choice ... what would you chose, hmmm? Love, cat.

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  4. Actually this is the best obituary you can get... we need more laughter in the world

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    1. Hey thanks. Obits are so dry and factual...they tell nothing of who the person was inside.

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  5. leave the stage, leave them wanting more and is this a stepping off before the giant hook yanks you back? yes, better to leave them wanting more .... but then, some might question: is it better to burn out than fade away? hard to say ... I don't know, perhaps I'll only know when death knocks on my door and what will it matter then?

    this is something that offers more than the standard dry bones facts and haloed condolences .... this is intimate and interesting

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    1. You've put some thought into this. I love it. Thanks!

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  6. Yes indeed. This is such an awesome obit. Thats just what its about. Friends should leave us with gratitude of smiles

    Much💚love

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  7. This is so real and true. I love it for that. And you make me know him in a way that his later achievements probably wouldn't have succeeded in doing.

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    1. That was the intention, Rosemary. I wonder if his business associates knew how funny he was...I don't know if it ever showed because he was in the medical field, and not a lot of joking going on around there normally. Thanks for your comment!

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  8. John would smile at this - best remembered

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  9. To be remembered for the joy or laughter you've given is awesome. Not everyone leaves such a legacy.

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  10. Timo! Gah, oh I adore this. The poem is pure you, and I can see you with your friend and hear his jokes. Man, my mind always races when the obits read "passed away suddenly," I just can't help it. Sorry for the loss of your friend. And sending love as it's definitely a thing, sitting with a loss like this. xo

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    1. M--What a lovely comment...he was one of those kids you went all the way through school with from second grade, and then lost touch with in adulthood...still, when any of them go it really gives you pause...(pause)...it's like, well, they're starting to drop now...who's next? So nice that you dropped by (pardon the pun!)

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  11. So sorry that you've lost an old friend but glad that you were able to add a comment to the obit - I've never seen that before and it seems like a great idea and a lovely way to remember someone. I especially like the way you remember the funny child on the front steps of the schoolhouse:
    'a bunch of us 8 year-olds
    gathered round
    listening to him chant:
    am I crazy...am I silly...
    will I eat a pic-a-dilly'.
    I think we've all known someone like that. :)

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    1. Kim--it's one of those lines that always stuck in my head...he was jazz riffing stream of consciousness poetry. He was the class clown from 2nd grade right through high school...and ended up in a high profile position in a very serious profession. Life surprises more often than not. Thanks for your comment!

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  12. I am so sorry for your loss.. this is a heartening tribute.

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  13. or maybe keel over on the stage whilst they laugh a la Tommy Cooper.

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  14. I liked the last stanza about firing off some clever lines.

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  15. Yup! We are all in the "wings".
    ZQ

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    1. But let the guy who's up there now go on for as long as he wants--lol

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  16. A worthy eulogy. I would be honored if an old childhood friend remembered me for my silly rhymes:)

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