Dedication for Jerry and Dolores:

When I first met Jerry Katz, Jerry was a happy go lucky philosopher and expounder of wisdom with no website. I was in the same boat and having fun. Jerry and I often debated about profound things and hurled wisdom filled words at each other. Jerry was good at ducking though. If a discussion did not go his way, Jerry would shift positions, saying that words do not mean much anyway. If I said Truth and Love were the same, Jerry would insist that Truth was higher than Love. If I said that Self was the highest Truth, Jerry would say no, there is something higher than Self. If I quoted Ramana, Jerry would quote Nisargadatta. If I read lines from Robert Frost, Jerry would take out his Walt Whitman poetry. If I talked about health foods, Jerry would talk about the donut shop that he goes to every morning. You get the drift. Jerry and I had to argue a little on a daily basis. All friendly stuff. Jerry never gets mad. Well, actually Jerry does swear sometimes. Now and then Jerry and I would agree. On those days, I would tell Jerry that he was an excellent writer and had a profound understanding of non-dual philosophy and should have his own website. Yes, it is true. That’s how we spent time.

One day Jerry told me that his wife Dolores was very ill. In fact, she was dying. Jerry was then doing his best to take care of Dolores and make her feel comfortable. They had been married around 15 years. Jerry and I often spoke from that point on about him and Dolores. Jerry told me about his marriage to Dolores and how they had met in California and eventually moved to Canada. Jerry told me that Dolores was a few years older than him and the illness was really wearing her out and making her look much older. He said it was very hard because even though Dolores was only 5 years older than him, when he was with her at the hospital, some people thought that she was his mother. It was not easy for Jerry but he was somehow managing with the help of his friends. For a long time Jerry watched Dolores struggle and go through that very painful process. He talked to me about the suffering involved in dying and we talked about the suffering involved in living. When Dolores passed away, there was a big adjustment period for Jerry. His friends comforted him. Jerry was then only in his late forties. I had written a poem about lovers who lose their loved ones and about husbands who lose their wives. I sent the poem to Jerry. I don’t know why I sent it. Jerry graciously put the poem on his website. I wanted to formally dedicate the poem to Jerry and Dolores in this issue of the HS magazine. It is called, "You would have made a splendid old lady".

Hey Jerry. Love you brother.

Harsha

YOU WOULD HAVE MADE A SPLENDID OLD LADY



Taking a deeper than my usual sigh

what poem shall I write tonight

when only your face seems in sight

and all the birds have taken flight.




When emptiness invades me so

and the void

fills me head to toe

then looking at the fresh grass

makes me uneasy;

its not hard to see

that youth and tenderness will go

like flowers blooming yesterday

and hide beneath the Christmas snow.




I console myself now and then

still inconsolable I remain

because your face always

so brightly lit

will never be seen again

by the eyes that watch

the nightly stars

to catch a glimpse

of the light of love.




The leaves are dropping

early this season it seems

and days from now on

will be less shady

but the night will still

have its moon beams

and I think you would have

made a splendid old lady.




Yes, I said it

in a round about way

what I wanted

to tell you all along

that I was in love with

the creases around your lips

and to wrinkles under your eyes

I dedicate this song.




What I cannot bring

myself to say

that since the spring

of my youth

has passed away

it comes to mind that I should

do the best I can

to be a nice old gentleman

and only if you could have

remained my steady

hanging on my arms

you would have

made a splendid old lady.



Harsha