IN MEMORY OF MY SWEET DAD IOVINO IOAKIMI (JOACHIM) RIP. (Written by my husband Christopher Piper). Enjoy everyone! IOVINO’ FALLS ASLEEP IN THE LORD ! So forgetful of the self that dies, e’en as thy body faints – “More precious in The Lord’s Sight is the death of His Saints !” O uncomplaining goodly loving man! Thy soul, possess ! Reborn: nine-months of patient suffering. Its soft impress Has left upon thy form’ resemblance to Christ’s Holy Shroud! Thy sores, like scourges. Wide: the open-wound on thy right-side... As Silent Manly Meekness, royal, still unmoved – Christ’s Strength in weakness , thy pure life hath proved! [The sun seems blotted-out! Two candles, thence, of night are lit. Mind-heart: faith-hope... (Thou, faithful-son, He’ll fail-not to Visit!)] Vespers...Matins... Two hours elapse. Thy steady laboured-breath’ Too long has ceased - Three little “mea culpa” coughs...and death... Has left the telling signs... – Without its lifeless-pallor to appal – Only thy mouth’s last “Benedictus” tells...! And all recall: Always thy favourite hymn returned thy tongue to praises strong – Thy throat, incapable of rousing speech, gave voice in song: “Ave Maris Stella...” – Lyrics ever in thy memory etched!] Behold; she comes for thee (LIFE’s Mother-True), with arms outstretched... Thy dear soul to embrace! She takes thy spirit-hand – Asleep Now, in the Bosom of Our Divine Lord: thy love, to keep. Thy spirit rises; and thy eyes are fixed upon Christ’s Light – (What vision leaves this brightly-image in thy faded sight...?) O holy death! That sees the Holy-Ones of GOD close-up – Thy countenance serene as He, WHO Drank the Bitter-Cup! Even thy eyes seem as His on the Shroud: thy lids are closed; With the right-lid’ revealing “Eyes that See”! Thou art reposed... O Motherly Visitation! With her angels’ tending To thy limbs: in state, placed Christ-like; His Calm IMAGE’ lending Thy kindly-visage’...aspect of His Gentle Majesty – O humble Tokelauan man! Amen; rest peacefully! Even thy sweat is delicate as dew. No stiffness to Thy stoic hair; no strain upon thy features – All too few Are they who pass this way! – A ‘healthy light’ shines from thy face And brow! Thy song’s completed with “Amen.” – Thy race Is run ! And thou, Iovino, sleeping restful in The Lord, Have won Eternal Peace and Joy: His Love’s Reward... Is Meekness’ clothing thy dear corpse, with GRACE’ Goodly and Fine: The pot, once filled with living-springs, is now filled with “Good-Wine ”! THE MAN FROM TOKELAU..... The man from Tokelau had dreamed a simple dream Of human-life’ faithful to the TRUE GOD! He’d dreamed a dream beneath the Nonu-Tree; And thankful, free (from drowning in tossed-seas, which teem With pride of life, envy, worldly esteem), He gave his heart to ‘The Flower’ of Jesse’s Rod, And fished those waters ‘pon which Christ had trod, E’er mindful of that simple dream! He saw (from out the Tabernacle) JESUS’ SACRED HEART Approaching him in Person, Real, Replete! Who bid him in a strange land, humbly dwell. He ran away, pell-mell. But for his generous part, Returned: that Holy Mother CHURCH’ impart Her Wisdom to him, urging “Bethlehem (to eat The Bread of Eucharistic-Life so sweet, As virtue to his Island-heart)”! The man from Tokelau saw in that New-Zealand A statue-great’ standing upon a hill Amidst tall pine-trees, looking o’er the sea ! True, proved his reverie: soon settled in that land... He saw where God Made HIS MADONNA Stand And knew it was ‘the same’ Expression of His Will – That youthful-memory is with him still Who meekly owned his land ! The man from Tokelau possessed but one compass: The North-Star (Maris ), guiding, in his prime! In him, it helped his will always to move; And in his soul, did prove...a magnifying glass ! The man from Tokelau knew that the MASS, Could not be altered (Wholly-Perfect) for All-Time – ‘Star of the Sea’ taught him this Truth-Sublime... “Forgiving, as each , each trespass” ! The man from Tokelau now praises GOD, Our Lord: Te Atua, WHO MADE ALL HOLY THINGS! He praises with the Saints, Eternally... In Heaven’s LIGHT; and he (his soul) has been outpoured – That LOVE’s Good Infant-King, be ever Adored! With Cherubim he “Gloria in excelsis Deo ” sings Praising (in deep-toned-harmonizing) things Bestowed by God, in Christ, Our Lord! Just-Men, by love and loving-kindness, are thus known: Who, in all their Life’s Disciplines’ well-learned, Were mindful most how Peter’s fishes teem... (As in a dream) ‘neath dark-mist-sprays...earthly seas own! All nature in travail , ‘midst storm-wraiths thrown, Has pierced immortal clouds...by patience, and returned To Paradise (REALITY) well-earned: The man from Tokelau is KNOWN... With Joseph and Mary, Joachim, Jude, Pio and Therese – Both Crib and Cross, odours exude, of Fatima’s pine-trees! SILENT NIGHT: PO MANUIA O MARIA PELEPETUA (Our Lady of Perpetual Help). It is restful in the room where the old-fulla died: Where he gave up the ghost, and five-souls around him cried... For love and loss...his passing ‘neath that Most Dolorous Gaze Of Saint Luke’s noble portrait of the Virgin, Who Yet Prays... For souls immersed in sufferings (Christ-like, in passion-tide ) – Her Gentle Hand is Strong for sons, who, in Her Care abide! There are no intravenous-drips; no doctors-pills and nurses; But ‘tender-care’ and ‘loving-quips’ “the sting of death ” disburses! For; the old-fellow’s glad to be ‘snugly tucked-in-bed’ – He wills to die a natural-death, patient and well-prepared... By forty-years of humbleness, fidelity to prayer; Docility...Christ’s Teaching-Church, ‘his Holy-Rosary’ near! Ah! Way of Holiness: suffering, in this life, for God’s Love – A peaceful-home, not built on sand, receives Life from Above... Here, in this room (this restful-room), with angels ministering To one who bears the Sorrowing-JOY of CHRIST Our Infant-King! O Silent Night (the night he died – with heart, tongue, ears much sanctified); JESUS’ has brought thee, Iovino, His ‘CALVARY’ at Christmastide!
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 23:28:44 +0000
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