For Alison
You tell me she’s at peace and she’s in a better place.
And you say it with genuine concern upon your face
You tell me that her suffering is over and done
That despite what has happened the battle was won
She’s proof that a bad diagnosis doesn’t mean
That your life’s handed over to the doctors you’ve seen
You can go your own way and can forge your own path
You can double your time left instead of cutting it in half
Her life was an inspiration to us all, you will say
Or her spirit’s still with us and hasn’t gone away
There’s a new star in heaven or an angel in the sky
Or it was all God’s plan that your sister had to die.
And the thing is you’re all right and your words are all true
And she’s gone from this Earth to a whole life that’s new
And she’s watching our to-ings and fro-ings each day
And I thank you for saying the words that you say
But in those quiet moments that are mercifully rare
I think what has happened is deeply unfair
She was taken from us and her life wasn’t done
Like the day ended at
She filled me with love and with joy and with hope
Her legacy lives on and that helps me to cope
But I don’t want to tell people how much I missed her