Joyce Balnaves - Poems

Joyce Elvira Balnaves, nee Weiland (5.6.1927 – 14.2.2000) wrote a number of poems in her last years.  To a very few of them, she gave a limited circulation. The rest, she showed to nobody.  Most of them she wrote in a fair hand in a notebook which she called “Joyce’s  Book”.  Some exist only as rough drafts and those appear in an appendix. John Balnaves     May 2002

Table of Contents

1 jamberroo – at my window, 1996 2 on understanding at last. reflections on my conversion in october 1950. january 1997 3 on being hurt, april 1997 4 on wondering what to do, april 1997 5 at a dominican retreat, blackfriars 6 prelude - part one 7 a defining time at a wucwo board meeting, brussels 1988 8 in thanks to our lady, may 1997 9 why? 10 on my 70th birthday, 5 june 1997 11 on receiving communion at calvary hospital, july 997 12 on nursing – to john, july 1997 13 night of 15 january 1998 14 on turning over in bed after an operation, july 1997 15 feeling sorry for myself, 1999 16 on not being able to sleep, january 1998 17 on not being able to sleep, january 1998 18 on remembering the severn and the dingle, january 1998 19 on reg, my brother-in-law and friend, february 1998 20 on it being hot again, january 1998 21 for john 22 my autobiography as michele asked, july 1998 23 on chemotherapy 1, july 1998 24 on chemotherapy 1, july 1998 25 to be or not to be, july 1998 26 my muse, august 1998 27 on a decision (not to continue with a treatment), september 1998 28 on finding a blank page, september 1998 29 maranatha, september 1998 30 on cwl, september 1998 31 in the abyss, september 1998 32 for mary-jane on her birthday, september 1997 33 on seeing a bubble, new year’s day 1999 34 moved by the moment – jamberoo, on receiving communion, 1996 35 on seeing the new year in, january 1999 36 to jean, on what would have been her 50th wedding anniversary, april 1999 37 untitled, 1999 38 on being awake at midnight, march 1999 39 in sunlight, march 1999 40 on loving life and all it is, march 1999 41 for doreen twite, my dear friend, on re-finding a book she gave me in 1975 42 on a dark four days, 24 april 1999 43 on being selfish, 25 april 1999 44 filliing a hole, april 1999 45 one autumn day - to margaret on her birthday, april 1999 46 on my birthday - in response to a lovely e-mail from cookie, june 1999 47 july 1999 48 1.45am, july 1999 49 on the newspapers not being here, 6.30 am july 1999 50 calvary hospital, august 1999 51 for aidan, august 1999 52 on a recurrence of cancer, august 1999 53 to john, september 1999 54 appendix

For more information on these poems, contact edmund@balnaves.org