Immemorial, immemorial — for my dear Auntie Mickey, who passed away recently in Logan, Utah.
Me with ukulele in front of a Japanese grave site, surrounded by splendid mountains and brilliant women. Sharing memories, condolences, and a few meanderings and musings about the miracle of death — with a special dedication to my grieving Uncle Bob and all of my cousins.
Now with Auntie Mickey memorialized and buried (next to my own dear mother — keep in mind, they were sisters by marriage — I drift into stories of my Uncle Bob and other bits of arcane family history and share the stories as i recall and learned. As such, out come snapshots from days back in Saskatoon, visits to Spokane, and many points in between. Amidst all the digressions are memories of her calm demeanour, her tenderness, lack of ‘drama’ and non-judgemental-ness.
I try to connect the dots between generations — the ones above and the ones below — with special mention of my (nephew? cousin? something-in-between) Adler, my niece Hannah, my other uncle Mark, and yet another Robert — this one my cousin Rob Roy ~ Of course there are many more: cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and so on, this is for you too.
There’s also an extended riff about my mother Lauralee’s body-donation program, and how her ashes have been distributed around the world. {noting when everything was happening, t’was hard to share this story; now the stories seem intertwined forever, there in Logan, where i might never go again}
Along with ukulele and camp-stove coffee, I read from Sylvia Plath — a poem called Kindness from her spectacular book Ariel (this copy being a knockoff from India).
If you ever happen through Logan, stop by and say hello to Lauralee and Mickey. No doubt they’d enjoy your company.
Peace to memory past, present and future as we witness the miracle of mystery.
Note: mortuary obituary
https://www.allenmortuaries.net/obituaries/mickey-stevenson
