Fragments

St Peter Mancroft church reflected in the glass of the Forum. Appearing to be fragmented.

I love the word fragment. For no particular reason. And I love these words by Raymond Carver:

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.

The poem is called 'Late Fragment'.

A few years ago when I was singing with the Voice Project we performed this poem, set to music, in one of our concerts and it really made the hairs on my neck stand on end. That was in May. A few months later, in June or July, a very dear friend died after being ill for about six months with a brain tumour and these words were spoken at her funeral.

Every now and again - for no reason whatsoever, but usually either when I'm doing something around the house or cycling on my bike - I just burst into a rendition of this, as I learned it with the Voice Project. Gives me a real lift.