Great Gig In the Sky

Dear Mr. Waters Don asked me to let you know that he is in hospital now And has been diagnosed with a cancer in his sinus He also asked me to tell everyone that he is not answering any letters Best to you Don's assistant, Kendall And then I wrote to Kendall Dear Kendall The other night in Zagreb At the end of the show When I sometimes wax political I suddenly found myself telling ten thousand croats Don's one road story I had no idea if they would get it When I got to the line (there is only one road in Yugoslavia) They burst into loud and genuine laughter I told them the rest of the story in brief Including Kirby's cancer, and reached the end There is only one road I stayed in touch with Kendall She lived a couple of hundred yards down the road from the farm house Somehow, Don's plan for the Eagle Farm to stay in the family Never worked out and it went on the market Eventually, an estate sale was organized and Kendall kept me informed It's a long drive It was still light when we got there So we went to the farm and sat on the porch And chatted to a few people who were gathered there Some ladies intent on protecting Don's legacy Determined to at least buy his red chair And some other important stuff I told Kendall that if it was okay with the estate I would like a couple of bale hooks and some baling twine from the barn She organized that Thank you, sweet Kendall Tears burn my eyes, my new old friend My bale hooks and twine arrived a few months later With a color photograph of Don with Kendall They live Hooks, twine, and pic Slap-bang in the middle of some beautiful shelves we have on the landing In pride of place alongside some mummified dragonflies And old robins' eggs Treasured Forever catching the rays of the dying sun At that gin rumminy time of the afternoon that I love Well, R.I.P., Donald Hall And now I've arrived at the bit I was looking for The crossroads