Mariel Terry
(December 22, 1930 - November 14, 2001)
In the poem, I call
her Mariela with an "a" on the end, because she told me that was
her real name,
un-anglicized,and so I always called her that. How we miss her ! Her funeral
was a very poignant,
joyous occasion. The Ambleside Orchestra played pieces from their recent concert
which Mariela
had played with them, including polka as we left after the service. Her
grandchildren read and sang,
and her children spoke with love and humor of the joy and sadness of her life. A
salsa band played at
the reception afterwards, and people danced!
Joan Kusisto Chris Ouimet Mariel Terry
Victoria Walton
Photo by Susan J. Sorensen
Mariela
Your name, you tell me,
Is Mariela!
Said with a lilt,
A lift of your chin
And a fling of your scarf,
Eyes flashing
Like lights reflecting
From dancing castanets.
Your sturdy, mother's hands,
Your face with the weathered beauty
Of a stormy shoreline
Sculpted by wind and sea—
Bounty of a life lived
Full and running over
With gaiety, sadness,
Love, pain, and joy.
When last we met, you showed me,
With love and appreciation in your smiling eyes,
The scarf your daughter gave you;
I did not sense then
An ending.
I carry now
That last image of your face
Lit with pleasure.
Now, dear friend,
That unique space in the world,
Shaped, lived and filled by you,
Holds an absence, an emptiness,
A letting go—
Your being, brimming with life,
Has left our present
For eternal timelessness.
Our love goes with you.
Wait for us;
Remember us,
As we remember you.
Lorette K. Woolsey
© Copyright Lorette K. Woolsey,
November 19, 2001