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Roses are not as beautiful as your cheeks,

Tulips not as your tender bare feet,

And in no eyes I ever read

Such a boundless longing for friendship

translated from the Dutch love poem by Jacob Israel de Haan entitled "To a Young Fisherman."

Bon Journal

Shock at midnight

Who do you call, when all alone in your house, you check your e-mails and learn the shocking news that a dear friend has suddenly died?

I am numb.

I was just getting ready to go to bed, after having selected "Meditating on detachment to let go" as the title for tomorrow's Bon Journal. It had been a productive day dedicated to composing.

I was thinking about detachment as a way to not get too personally affected or too involved in someone else's life. Practising detachment is the way to freedom and independence. It is also the way to let go.

This news from far away sent my mind whirling. How I'd like to catch a flight to be with everyone else who has been affected --- or rather --- everyone else who has been inspired by this larger-than-life person. Only yesterday I was thinking of thanking him again for how he has changed my life.

Last Tuesday I exchanged e-mails with him. He wrote that he was running himself to the ground with too many projects and that he needed to slow down. Who would have guessed that two days later, he would be diagnosed with cancer. The next day (Friday), he collapsed, got admitted to the hospital, and suffered two heart attacks from which he did not recover.

It's too sudden.

How can we be prepared for the death of our loved ones? Are there signs? Can we be available for them when they need us?

6 May 2004 Thursday
Related links:
Houston Chronicle announcement, May 1, 2004
In remembrance of Robert Avalon - WRR interview
Passion of music - getting to know Robert Avalon
Robert Avalon - site
Foundation for Modern Music
Carlota - Robert Avalon's opera
 
Related journal entries:
Introducing Avalon
Improvising piano duets
Creation not re-creation
First class to Brussels
Hotel Le Plaza
Soirees, soirrees, swa-ray
Full moon in Houston
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Anne Ku at Ilp in May 2001
Anne Ku
writes about her travels, conversations, thoughts, events, music, and anything else that is interesting enough to fill a web page.
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