we'll recall with songs the quilt
that marks our survival and the mosaic pictures
you painted with a swirl of wit and charm
and how with tender care you added comfort
and warmth to the images that lined our frames
whether it is from Nicaragua to Namibia
from Guyana to Ghana and from Congo
to the turbulent streams of the Caribbean
we'll look upon them fondly, bringing forth
a thankfulness that you walk in these halls
with me our meeting has become a part
of my world now; it has its special place,
within my being, my life, and in my heart,
your name hangs right beside my smiling face
remembering just how drab things had been
until you entered the stage with a song