March 3, 2022 I unzip the case, remove the dulcimer Sleek and shining, walnut and redwood Lay it on my lap, take up the pick Strum the simple melodies from memory The lone wild bird Shenandoah The ash grove Amazing grace And my dying friend in the bed Closes her eyes and smiles “The lone wild bird in lofty flight” I sing softly “Is still with thee and in thy sight” I never sang for you, dear mother, on your hospital bed Or for you, dear father, dying alone in the nursing home But I sing for my friend “Great spirit come and rest in me.”
How touching. I am left with the reverberations of the act and the the thought of the melody reaching to the spirits of your parents.
Thank you, Anne. My friend passed away last night, with family around her.