Friday 29 October 2010

Aunt Little Kate





Aunt Little Kate of the smiling eyes,
apple-cheeked, with upturned nose,
was mine by marriage, mine by law.
No blood connected us, But when I knew her,
O, how I wished it had.

I was reminded of her on my nameday,
one of many days to be celebrated
according to aunt Little Kate’s calendar.

Aunt Little Kate’s main aim in life was to spread joy.
Aunt Little Kate loved life,
genuinely loved people,
and in turn was loved by many.
When she married into the dour, joyless family,
ruled with a rod of iron by my politics obsessed grandfather,
she simply carried on, innocently, sweetly, softly,
always pliable, yielding, never breaking.
Still celebrating.

War came, took my uncle, her husband away
and made him a prisoner in a far distant land.
Aunt Little Kate lived with grandfather,
who, true to his nature, tried to bend her to his will.
She looked after the old man, on whose charity she depended,
bit her tongue, made a fist in her pocket and waited for better days.
Her smile a little less radiant, her eyes a little cloudier,
she carried on, innocently, sweetly, softly,
always pliable, yielding, never breaking.
Still celebrating life.

When her husband returned, a broken man,
years after the war had ended,
Aunt Little Kate picked up the pieces.
She had a child and two men to look after now,
two men who soon were bitter enemies,
One despising, the other cowed in impotent anger.
Aunt Little Kate carried on, the buffer between the two,
taking each by the hand, sweetly, softly,
always pliable, yielding, never breaking.
Celebrating life and love, joyful once more.

Life, which she loved so much, treated her harshly.
Aunt Little Kate accepted it all,
discord and strife,
illness and pain,
unkindness and loss.
Her eyes still glowed, her smile still shone,
her joy a constant beacon to warm the saddest heart.
Aunt Little Kate never stopped celebrating,
her calendar a crowded record of reasons to be joyful,
to mark each special day in the life of all those dear to her
with a token of her love.



29 comments:

  1. What an amazing person.A lesson to us all.

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  2. Who lovely to celebrate a Life like your Aunt Little Kate's - there must be so much more to write, but I'd guess she kept it all in, showing the world a brave, gentle and happy face.

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  3. she sounds like a wonderful lady...to always be celebrating life even inthe face of adversity is truly a high calling...

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  4. Oh how fortunate for you to have
    known your Aunt Little Kate.
    She seemed to have the gift
    of love, and unlike the heralds
    of hypocrisy that surround us,
    she was the real deal, the genuine
    article. Lovely piece, another gem
    from the heart and innards of
    our Miss Friko. This is the kind
    of tribute that comes from love,
    and not despair. Good on you for
    focusing on the joy your auntie
    dispensed and reperesented.

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  5. Oh what a wonderful poem and what a very special lady, such a lovely tribute.

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  6. Oh thank you for introducing us to my new role model!


    "Aunt Little Kate’s main aim in life was to spread joy.
    Aunt Little Kate loved life,
    genuinely loved people,
    and in turn was loved by many.
    When she married into the dour, joyless family,
    ruled with a rod of iron by my politics obsessed grandfather,
    she simply carried on, innocently, sweetly, softly,
    always pliable, yielding, never breaking.
    Still celebrating."

    Amen

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  7. She should have at least tossed out the old coot.

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  8. Friko - what a beautiful poem about such an inspirational lady.

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  9. People like this are so rare, in any time. How lucky to have known her.

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  10. Little in name only. The repetition of those words -

    "sweetly, softly,
    always pliable, yielding, never breaking.
    Still celebrating life."

    - feels just right, reinforcing the steadfastness of this woman. What a lovely portrait.

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  11. '...pliable, yielding, never breaking ... ever celebrating...', sounds like someone you loved and admired very much ... someone we could all emulate.

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  12. A lovely tribute! One of the legion of unsung heroes -- but now you've sung her -- and beautifully too!

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  13. Such a sweet poem for a sweet lady. When you know someone that charitable and lovely it helps forgetting all the other bad persons in life. It was wonderful for you to have known such an aunt.

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  14. I wish I knew her. But I inhale a lovely breath of her through your words.
    XO
    WWW

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  15. What a wonderful poem, your own love for her shining through.
    But it sure makes me angry that these two men did not cherish her as much! Shouldn`t they have been transformed by her? I guess some people should not only be endured and smiled at, but shaken by their shoulders!!!
    Thanks, Friko, now I found the place where I can follow you, too! I LOVE your blog!

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  16. A lovely tribute. I ached for her to have a better life as I read this. You painted her well.

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  17. Let us thank God for the Aunt Litttle Kates of our world!

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  18. The strongest of characters reveal themselves by being pliable, yielding, never breaking.

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  19. Sadly the gentlest people seem to shoulder the heaviest load. I kept hoping for joy to appear in her life, hope you were part of that.

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  20. How moving. This is such a great reminder to love our dear ones. Just seeing Aunt Kate's picture, I can see the sweetness in her. (She reminds me of my own mother).

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  21. friko - you're such a beautiful insightful writer. i admire you for your ability to tap into the clarity with which you see the world and express it through words in such a way as to allow the reader to leave the words behind. thankyou. steven

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  22. She sounds like a person worth knowing, and a person worth emulating too. Friko, you wrote this up beautifully, and very evocatively. You really conjured the image of Kate, and gave her flesh and spirit here.

    Well done, and a pleasure to have read.

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  23. Just wandered in and so glad I did. You have a lovely way of writing, and this was done so quietly, so efficiently.

    Aunt Little Kate comes across clearly.

    Pearl

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  24. Durch deine Widmung erhält deine Tante Kathy die Bewunderung, Anerkennung und Liebe, die sie in ihrem eigenen Leben nicht erfahren durfte. Das Leben ertragen zu können, mit so viel Resignation, harter Kriegszeit, Schmerzen jeglicher Art und sich äusserliche den Frust und Ärger nie anmerken zu lassen, verdient grossen Respekt. Man sollte sich solche Menschen öfters als Vorbild nehmen...
    Liebe Grüsse
    Maria-Angela

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  25. Whew - what an amazing life. Knowing people like that makes us all the better for it. I had a cousin-in-law who seems to have had a similar attitude, and she had the added gift of making people laugh.

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  26. It's just great to know that such people can be found, for they make the world a better place...

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  27. That last word "love" says it all for Aunt Little Kate. And your post.

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  28. What a beautiful tribute to a beautiful person.
    Thanks for sharing :)

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