Katherine Watson Farmer

 

I recently found this tribute to Katherine Watson Farmer, written maybe 35 years ago.

Farewell, Katherine

Ah, the joy of getting to know another

To touch and be touched

To feel the same pulse

Throb so gently, so deeply in another

And to reach out, every sense tender

To hear the beat that drives every heart

That holds us one in life's sweet dream,

We are each stewards of

A grandness that greens the Earth

And we do well to remember our frailness

As we hold for awhile a bit of God in our souls,

Katherine, you and I shared a place first

A center in the forest, a spell by a creek,

And from that common center

We found encircling thoughts and feelings

That could resonate across a generation--

And we touched, and our families touched,

And we were the better for breaking down

The barriers that sought to wall us separate,

You painted a milkweed pod a bursting

With little seeds tethered to fairy balloons

Ready to launch into tomorrow,

You are gone, seeds you loved and let go

Live on, and I feel I have more to share

From having known and loved you.

Fare well.

by Henry H. Walker

circa 1990