I wrote this for a committal in honour of Bill Fowler, former basketball coach extraordinaire, popular professor for years of the “course on play”, McMaster Athletics Hall of Famer and most wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend.
You are missed and remembered, Bill. Hope you’re having a good game up there!
To Remember Me, Play
To remember me, Play!
In autumn, gather the leaves into piles of joy –
Jump in and watch them fly away
Knowing they will find a place in the earth
Warm and dark to nourish new life
That in winter lies sleeping.
To remember me, Play!
In winter, when the first flakes of snow
Swirl in magic around children
Who dance with excitement for snowmen or forts,
And snowball fights where fun is the winner
Deep drifts soon to be streams for playing.
To remember me, Play!
In spring, whose warmth beckons all life to return
Small shoots; eternal promises of life everlasting
Beauty and laughter in colours of nature
Splashed across canvass; an invitation
To summer sun ablaze in colours of joy.
To remember me, Play!
In summer, together as family and friends
Companions on this earth, swimmers in cool waters
Know I am among you, held in heart and hand
The twinkle in your eye, the lift of the ball
Gather under green leaves that soon will turn red
And in my honour, Play!