Budgie Harassment was written in 1982. Joey
our budgie, bought as a pet for my younger sister, Catherine, was a great talker and
wonderful companion bird. He was so tame he would literally sit anywhere you placed
him. He spent much of his life being unable to fly on account of possibly injuring
his wing during the time we had some home improvements done. (birds never take kindly to
these things!) Nevertheless he was well able to let us know when attention was
required!!
My Brother John, a piece of prose, was
written in August 1986, a couple of months after my only brother's death. It has
been painful for me to include this but I thought people might like to read this epitaph
to my brother, whose memory will always be with me.
Clare Louise, on a lighter front, was
written when Clare, my God Daughter and eldest child of my first cousin, Stephanie,
was baptised in 1982.
A Church Spirit was written after
Mum and I independently say briefly a shadow of a kneeling figure in the aisle of Holy
Trinity Church, Coventry.
Life was written after my maternal grandfather
died in November 1985.
Remembrance was written shortly after my
father's death, which was very sudden. I sang in a production of an abridged version
of Handel's Messiah. There was also, the first half of the concert, a violin
concerto by Handel which, together with the church stained glass windows inspired the
poem.
Israel was written as a result of my two week
visit to Israel in October 1985
War was an attempt to imagine the effects of a
nuclear war. I hope, of course, that it will never come about because I do not
believe that mankind would tolerate such an event.
Life was written after seeing an elderly man after
a few years who had to use a stick because of age and illness.
Death was written as a result of my father's
death. Brahms' Four Serious Songs, in which "Through a glass
darkly" is quoted from the Bible was an inspiration.
The Blackbird was written after watching a
blackbird incubating eggs in a nest made on top of two planks of wood (on our garage
roof!). It proved too precarious and we think the nest was attacked by a cat or
other bird.
Sarah Jane Davies 1985
Lord of Life was written during an idle moment
at work on 27th May 1999. Manchester United had just won the European Cup and my
memories took me back to 1987 when Coventry City won the FA Cup. The significance of
this was my brother was an avid City supporter who had died tragically a year before he
saw his beloved football team win such a coveted prize.
Cheeky was
written at the same time as "Lord of Life". Isn't it strange how two
totally different moods can hit you one after the other?!
