I wept the day Coretta King Died February 2006

I was so moved , on reading of Coretta King's death. I had not know that she faced ovarian cancer, and felt angry, when her death was reported, as respiratory failure.

I am an artist, a writer and ovarian cancer survivor. Born in Northern Ireland, Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement in the US of the 1960's and early 70's had an inspirational effect on us, and we followed his lead in looking to make change in our society in a non-violent way. Sadly, in Ireland, our Civil Rights movement was overshadowed by terrorism.

I remembered a poem I wrote as a child. The poem got lost. I cannot remember the lines, but I talked about rowing across a large lake, with the knowledge that when I reached the lake's shore, "The people would be free". My mother kept this poem, in her handbag, and showed it to me shortly before she died of breast cancer in the early 1980's.

I visited Atlanta in September last year, with my artist partner Denise Wyllie to present our art work, "Art Communicates Science Knowledge", at The 8th Annual Conference of The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. A deciding factor in making the decision to travel to Atlanta was to fulfil a dream and visit the King Centre, which Coretta King was instrumental in establishing. It was an important event for us.

We are all connected, we do have a voice, and we can make a difference. After I wept on the day Coretta King Died, I wrote this poem.

I wept the day Coretta King died.

Silently.

They told the story wrong in the papers

on the TV

on the net.

Noisy places.

I wept the day Coretta King died.

Ovarian cancer, advanced within her.

Silently.

I wept the day Coretta King died.

The silent story behind her death

Waits to be heard

In the papers

on the TV

on the net

Noisy places.

©2006 Clare O Hagan