Discussing a verse from, 'Hush'- a poem by Jaz McKenzie

'HUSH' Verse two

‘Dust to dust
Ashes to ashes
HUSH
No longer hearing the joyful noise of her soulful notes
Or seemingly eternal chatter from dawn to dusk
Running, skipping, jumping at every opportunity
Silence speaks volumes... hush’

Jaz McKenzie © 2010

Today I feel like sharing a verse from my poem ‘Hush,’ which was written spontaneously and not in response to the loss of a friend or family member, but as a universal celebration of death.

Now, that might sound strange were it not for that little word ‘hush.’ This verse is evoking memories in the midst of silence by encouraging the reader to draw a mental picture of a young girl in the prime of life enjoying the art of living. She is very much alive, talkative, playful and it is within the silence that you can feel her presence and visualize a snapshot of her everyday life.

She was young and had everything to live for- what a waste! Wrong. Life is not about the future it’s about now. A child understands this and generally does not have a perception of their future therefore they are already living the ultimate existence. Most children enjoy being alive, experimenting, and rejoicing in their natural spirit- they are themselves and give of themselves to a greater or lesser extent.

When ‘promising’ or ‘beautiful’ young people die we are often horrified, usually having the expectation that our children will outlive us. But why? Everyone of us has a preordained life span and are here for a purpose. It could be that the purpose of a particular child’s death is to start a chain reaction- possibly raising awareness of a particular issue. Alternatively it could be as simple as the way in which their young life touched other people. What we can learn from this poem is the need to appreciate people while they are with us and to be there for them, as truly valuing life is a gift in itself.

Jaz McKenzie- word magician, poet & writer!