Mita is dead... a sadness and cloud of mourning hangs over Nieu-Bethesda. Mita committed suicide. She was 21 years old, they found her dead with her 9 months old baby sitting next to her. Mita was a cheery and happy person, or so it seemed to everybody, no one knew she was not coping. But then, nobody ever really knows what goes on in other people's lives, hearts and souls. Mita's baby won't ever know his mother or remember her and will for the rest of his life only know that she deserted him and left him alone to grow up and find his way in this crazy and beautiful world. I didn't know Mita, but her death and the baby she left behind reminds me of one of my favorite poems, also the saddest poem... this is for Mita, from her baby...
Funeral Blues (W.H. Auden)
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message She is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the necks of the doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
She was my North, my South, my East, my West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Mita will be put to rest tomorrow, Mita may you rest in peace...
And yet life goes on, even in Nieu-Bethesda. The roosters start crowing at 6 and the birds chirp from early in the morning. People get up and go their way, walking to work or opening their doors for the new day. Tourists come and go, unaware of the cloud hanging over Nieu-Bethesda. Life in Nieu-Bethesda is intense and real. The dogs still walk around, as if the streets belong to them. The horses roam free and dust still hangs in the air everytime a car drives in or out of Nieu-Bethesda. Woman knock on my door to come say hello and bring me flowers, decadent quiches and glorious jars full of handmade jam... The stars still shine bright in the night and fills you with amazement everytime you look at them, making you feel so small. It is warm during the day, the wind blows in the afternoon as if there is no tomorrow. And for Mita there isn't...
And as it is in life, even without Mita, Nieu-Bethesda is still a magical place... As it was
before I came to live here and as it will be after I go one day...
Funeral Blues (W.H. Auden)
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message She is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the necks of the doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
She was my North, my South, my East, my West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Mita will be put to rest tomorrow, Mita may you rest in peace...
And yet life goes on, even in Nieu-Bethesda. The roosters start crowing at 6 and the birds chirp from early in the morning. People get up and go their way, walking to work or opening their doors for the new day. Tourists come and go, unaware of the cloud hanging over Nieu-Bethesda. Life in Nieu-Bethesda is intense and real. The dogs still walk around, as if the streets belong to them. The horses roam free and dust still hangs in the air everytime a car drives in or out of Nieu-Bethesda. Woman knock on my door to come say hello and bring me flowers, decadent quiches and glorious jars full of handmade jam... The stars still shine bright in the night and fills you with amazement everytime you look at them, making you feel so small. It is warm during the day, the wind blows in the afternoon as if there is no tomorrow. And for Mita there isn't...
And as it is in life, even without Mita, Nieu-Bethesda is still a magical place... As it was
before I came to live here and as it will be after I go one day...
