The most poignant Perfect Verse – a letter to Mum

In my career as a bespoke poet, I’ve written numerous wedding speeches, verse for birthdays, business promotion, radio advertisements and even spoof lyrics for videos!

But the Perfect Verse which nestles closest to my heart was the one I wrote for Sue.

A year ago, just before Christmas, Sue telephoned me, very unhappy.  She was 50 years old, and divorced for a year and was on great terms with her ex husband Dave; both parties happily having moved on to new partners.  But when it came to her extended family, it wasn’t quite so straightforward.

Although the divorce was amicable, his parents didn’t know how to relate to Sue any more and completely ‘withdrew’ from her.  They continued to see her daughters, but excluded Sue from family occasions. Suddenly she was without the family – and the love –  that she’d treasured for the previous thirty five years.  She’d always been fond of her mother in law, and also found it painful to miss out on her nieces and nephews growing up.

“Can you help me Jan?” she asked.  “ They’re still my family but I can’t find the words I need.  I want to tell them that I love them and miss them, and that my feelings haven’t changed just because Dave and I are apart.”

The talk we had lasted for an hour. It was a very poignant consultation, and Sue’s pain was tangible.

I reviewed my notes and set to work.  You can find the result,  ’A Letter to Mum‘ on my Sample Verse page.  You will need to scroll down the page slightly.

 Sue cried when I read her Perfect Verse to her a few days later.  And, I confess, so did I.  She told me she was going to put it in her ex Mother in Law’s Christmas card.

A few days after Christmas, she contacted me. “I’ve had a phone call from Mum.  We’re having lunch together next week.  Jan, I don’t know what to say.  I just can’t thank you enough.”

All in all, I think that has to be one of my proudest moments.