The Night Before the Day

The night before the day

We wed was full of moon,

Or at least they say

It was when groom

And bride became one.

These thirty years later

The moon has not gone.

It is full and greater

Than the one

That long ago shone.

The Bats

How they swirled under the brightening moon,

That eve thirty years past, as we two walked

Amid the thickening trees whose silent swoon

Was broken by the beat of wings which talked

Of wonders yet to come; of an enchanted dawn

Breathing our names on soft singing bats' wings

Swishing softly the syllables "Sarah" and "Seán"

For our ears alone; through to the next morn ...

The Power of One

One is a pronoun in the English language. It is an indefinite pronoun. For purposes of verb agreement it is a third-person singular pronoun, although it is sometimes used with first- or second-person reference. Occasionally it is called an impersonal pronoun. It is more or less equivalent to the Scotch "a body," the French pronoun on, the German/Scandinavian man, and the Spanish uno. It has the possessive form one's and the reflexive form oneself. The pronoun one has quite formal connotations, and is frequently avoided by the vulgar in favour of more colloquial alternatives such as the generic you.

One song can spark a moment, 

One whisper can wake the dream.

One tree can start a forest, 

One bird can herald spring. 

One smile begins a friendship, 

One moment can make us love.

One star can guide a ship at sea, 

One word can frame the goal. 

One vote can change a nation, 

One sunbeam lights a room

One candle wipes out darkness, 

One laugh will conquer gloom. 

One step must start each journey.

One word must start each prayer.

One hope will raise one's spirits, 

One touch can show one cares. 

One voice can speak with wisdom, 

One heart can know what's gone, 

One life can make a difference, 

So, ultimately, it's up to one! 

(With apologies to Ashish Ram)

Diana's Birthday

Today is Diana's birthday. She is pictured above and also in the second of the group photographs below where she is enjoying a meal at our home in the company of the Hungarian poet and journalist, Thomas Land, Sarah and me. She sadly passed away on 16 December 2003. Fr Hubert Condron and I conducted her funeral exactly one month later in the chapel at Islington & St Pancras Cemetery. Panis Angelicus was the only piece of funeral music requested by her. As the coffin slowly moved from view this is what played (click on images). The irony was not lost on me. More than anyone I have known, she adored music.

Diana seated alongside my mother on 8 August 1987 (below).

Diana Wynne Brewester

†

R.I.P.

Septuaginta Trium

Birthday Party

Shake & Stir 2