Richard Makay White

12/1/1918 – 26/2/1999

Late of Cardiff

Husband of Janice

TO MY POP

WHAT CAN ONE SAY WHEN YOU LOSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE

WELL FOR ME I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY

FOR ME THIS IS ALL A BIT HARD TO COMPREHEND

I SUPPOSE I JUST THINK THAT EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY

WHO IS DEAR TO ME WILL BE AROUND FOREVER.

POP WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.  AT FIRST I DIDN’T BELIEVE IT

OR SHOULD I SAY I DIDN’T WANT TO BELIEVE IT.  I MEAN THIS IS MY POP THIS IS THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN AROUND MY WHOLE LIFE.  THIS IS THE PERSON WHO YOU WOULD EXPECT SITTING IN HIS ROCKING CHAIR WATCHING THE CRICKET WHEN YOU FIRST WALKED INTO THE HOUSE,  OR OUTSIDE TENDING TO HIS GARDEN.

I SAT FOR A LONG TIME AND THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT TO SAY

AS SAYING THIS IS MY WAY OF SAYING GOODBYE.  I ALSO THOUGHT ABOUT HOW POP WOULD WANT EVERYONE NOT TO BE UPSET.  I REMEMBER SEEING A POEM A WHILE AGO AND THOUGHT IT WAS APPROPRIATE.

THE INTEVAL

DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL…

I HAVE ONLY SLIPPED AWAY INTO THE NEXT ROOM…

I AM I AND YOU ARE YOU…

WHATEVER WE WERE TO EACH OTHER, THAT WE ARE STILL

CALL ME BE MY OLD FAMILIAR NAME

SPEAK TO ME IN THE EASY WAY WHICH YOU ALWAYS USED

PUT NO DIFFERENCE INTO YOUR TONE

WEAR NO FORCED AIR OF SOLEMNITY OR SORROW

LAUGH AS WE ALWAYS LAUGHED AT THE LITTLE JOKES WE ENJOYED TOGETHER

PLAY, SMILE, THINK OF ME, PRAY FOR ME

LET MY NAME BE EVER THE HOUSE-HOLD WORD THAT IT ALWAYS WAS

LET IT BE SPOKEN WITHOUT EFFECT, WITHOUT THE GHOST OF A SHADOW ON IT

LIFE MEANS ALL THAT IT EVER MEANT, IT IS THE SAME AS IT EVER WAS

THERE IS ABSOULTELY UNBROKEN CONTINUITY

WHAT IS DEATH BUT A NEGLIGIBLE ACCIDENT?

WHY SHOULD I BE OUT OF MIND BECAUSE I AM OUT OF SIGHT

I AM BUT WAITING FOR YOU, FOR AN INTEVAL, SOMEWHERE VERY NEAR

JUST AROUND THE CORNER … … ALL IS WELL?

I CHOSE THIS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT’S WHAT POP WANTS.  HE DOESN’T WANT US TO BE UPSET HE WANTS US TO GET ON WITH IT AS IF HE WAS HERE.  BUT I SAY TO YOU POP, HOW CAN ONE DO THAT WHEN YOU ARE LOVED BY SO MANY AND YOU HAVE TOUCHED SO MANY HEARTS.

I TRIED MANY TIMES TO THINK ABOUT HOW I WAS GOING TO END THIS BUT I CAN’T ITS JUST DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SAY GOODBYE TO SOMEONE WHEN YOU DIDN’T WANT THEM TO GO ESPECIALLY SOMEONE LIKE MY POP.  SO I’LL JUST SAY GOODBYE FOR NOW POP WE LOVE YOU DEARLY AND YOU’LL BE GREATLY MISSED.

LOVE ALWAYS YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER SAMANTHA   XXX OOO

Hi Pop,
I just wanted to tell you I love you and wherever you are I hope you have a huge garden, the crickets on and you get to eat all the fruit and cups of tea as you like. I have four beautiful girls and I talk about you all the time. I love you heaps pop and I miss you more. Love your Granddaughter Samantha x

Nov 2022