Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
POETRY CORNER
Getting a second chance at love was a dream come true for Hazel Drake in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, who was widowed after 40 years of marriage when she lost her beloved husband to cancer.
She and her husband used to attend country music dances with another couple, but then her friend also lost his wife to cancer after 40 years together.
The 77-year-old widow says: “Over time Brian and I started attending dances and got quite close. I organised a country dance for my 70th, and Brian proposed to me! I accepted and we had seven lovely years until he became ill and died last April of cancer.”
Since then, Hazel has also sadly lost her brother, Derek, but she feels blessed to have a wonderful family and friends. She says: “What a lovely time we have ahead when we can have the hugs we’ve missed. I’ve been lucky to have been loved by so many, but it’s sad their lives were cut short. I wrote this poem for my wedding to Brian, and I hope you like it.”
A second chance By Hazel Drake
Life is full of surprises
No matter what we do,
But the nicest surprise I have found,
Was falling in love with you.
We’ve both been through some awful times,
Full of despair, without hope,
Gradually supporting each other,
We somehow managed to cope.
Then suddenly a spark was lit,
One night while having a dance,
Both of us wondering,
If this could be our second chance.
We will never forget our dear loved ones,
We will always be sad that they are gone,
But I am sure that we have their blessing,
And they are saying it’s time to move on.
We are blessed to have a second chance,
At finding another sweet love,
And I am sure it was planned with a great deal of care, From two angels in heaven above.