Eulogy 
 
Hello, and thank you all for coming
for those who might not know me, I am Francoise’s son Nicholas. 
I wanted to read out a poem that I wrote for her … I call it …
 
 
If I had another mother I would keep her in my heart … Oh Look, I did !!!
 
My mother’s life was full of joy, her childhood would last a lifetime,
But I am still her little boy, and it hurts to bear this loss, this time …
 
 
I lost my Mother on April Fool’s Day,
She would love that sense of humour at play …
She had a love too of nonsense rhymes
By Lear, Belloc and Milligan,
So I’ll write a poem about my loss
And keep it cheerful if I can …
 
 
If I had another Mother I would take her to the vet,
And tell them her name was “Rover” and I’d know that she would get,
The very best care they could give her, and a gentle way to sleep,
And I’d know I’d done the right thing, and the memories I’d keep
Would be happy in the knowledge that her last few hours were kind,
And those gentle pictures would stay with me, and be shining in my mind …
 
But we took her to the doctors who would … ‘do all that they could’ …
The Covid wrecked her lungs and all her organs were not good,
Some stats were high, some readings low, the nurses came and tended,
The needles pierced, the gas was pumped but her lungs could not be mended …
 
Long dark nights and darker days, our hands held tight together,
Her eyes met mine, I jumped and swam in a love to last forever,
That ghastly breath that preceded death has cut me like no other,
But the timeless grace of her loving face shall never leave me …
My Mother, she was love itself, with that wicked sense of hu-more,
But if I had my time again, we would go straight to the vet …
Because I’d know that they could do more … !!
 
Sleep well my darling … XXX