This is Farewell

Pinky Agnew

Being a lifelong poetry reader, I know there are many more published poems about death than any other subject.

As I’ve collected the poems, prose pieces and quotes for This is Farewell, I’ve come to understand how they help us to articulate the unspeakable, unthinkable reality. The death of a loved person. Our own inevitable death.

We know we are going to die. We know that every person now alive will one day die. It is one of the great paradoxes of being human, that, armed with this awareness of our own mortality, we continue to behave as it will not happen.

Mother Suzanne Aubert, founder of the Sisters of Compassion, gives us comfort in her practical wisdom: “Following the miracle of our birth, the only sure thing is our death when our life is complete. Though awesome, it is not to be unduly feared… We do not fall suddenly into death, we advance towards it step by step every day. Our last hour is not death by itself but it consummates it.”

There are many readings here which will be suitable to be read aloud at funerals, tangihanga, cremations, graveside or memorial services.

J.C. Sturm poignantly reminds us of the healing power of gathering together to honour our dead and share our grief in her poem Tangi.

Tangi for those
Who tangi for him.
Tangi with those
Who tangi for you.
Mihi and tangi
Will bind you,
Bind you together.

Literature richly provides us with the language to reflect on all these difficult realities. UK poet Lemn Sissay writes: “It’s incredibly moving seeing poems being read at these times of great importance – weddings and funerals. You walk around a graveyard and see poems engraved on tombstones. A person’s last message to the world. And why is that? Poems are the bridge between then and now. It’s around us all the time.”

This is Farewell is $35.00, plus p&p. You can buy this book by emailing me on pinky@pinkyagnew.com

Comments

Being a grey, damp day, I’ve been sitting on the couch with your new book in hand, and found myself feeling quite emotional reading some of the writings. Some words have prompted me to think of special people who are no longer in my life and are missed, or to remember particular farewells that touched me.

You truly are a gem to publish this wonderful resource and share your knowledge, passion and experience with others. Your book will not sit on my bookshelf, it will be close by my keyboard to constantly flick open and find just the right words for different situations and to share with families I work with who are affected by death and dying. In gratitude,

Jill Southee

Celebrant, Co-chair Wellington Celebrants Aotearoa (CANZ), Wellington 2023

Thank you so much for your beautiful anthology which contains a little poem of mine. Sincere thanks on a most inspiring compilation that is full of hope and love.

Hugh O’Donnell, Ireland 2023

I want you to know what a joy your book is! I love its aesthetics, it is comfortable in the hand, and the layout is clean and clear to enjoy. Each night I have been reading a portion of your carefully selected readings and poems, and have found them inspiring and comforting. Nothing morbid, but filled with gratitude and hope. You have placed the texts sensitively together so that they lead the reader on in reflection and contemplation.

Anne, Dunedin 2023

My heart is full after reading your new book. Some much-loved old friends and new discoveries among the pages.

Vanya, Southland 2023

Whew! Wow! – but a quiet “wow”. Such salutary reflections. And what emotional outpouring. ‘This is Farewell’ is not an easy read, but it probably wasn’t meant to be. And all the more valuable for that. Thank you for editing it.

Margaret, Wellington 2023