Haiku Collection
by
John Stuart Edwards

Six days after moving to Naples Florida, and four days before Hurricane Irma struck our shores, my sister Donna Edwards Foege passed away after battling cancer. On that day, I published this collection of poems that I had written throughout her illness and read to her during our many visits together in her final year of life on earth. The collection reflects how we talked about her life before cancer, and then at “The coldest wintry wind,” the next poem pivots to how her life rapidly changed and how she dealt with the knowledge of her imminent death.

Donna’s Life – A Photo Gallery
“In Loving Memory of My Sister Donna”

See Sister Donna,

Poised, Intelligent Beauty–

A starlet at night.

~

Purity of soul,

Hike mountain, river, valley

Destined to grow old.

~

Husband is Jimmy,

Donna everything to Jim

and Jim to Donna.

~

A generous woman

gives heartfelt love everyone–

Gift to everyone.

~

She is a Fine Daughter,

Mother and Grandmother–

Three grand-babies now.

~

Suit case well-traveled

by all means to what matters,

Donna sees the world.

~

Mountain Magic, Ski.

Bear chasing bear up a tree–

Knit, Cook, Love, Walk, Play

~

Donna is with us,

Always and forever–

 Coldest wintry wind.

~

Now every hour and day

Unpleasant emotion, afraid–

Callous night waiting.

~

Pray now for Donna

and the grandchildren and kids,

Gods blessings to Jim.

Since we were kids and throughout all my travels around the world, my sister Donna and our families remained very close. We vacationed together. This video is from one of the last times we had our families together before she died. The video was made at our home at Lake of the Woods over the Labor Day holiday weekend in 2016.

WATCH THE VIDEO
Donna Edwards Foege died one year later on September 6, 2017