Her Way - Celebrating the Life of Ramona Miles

I received very sad news today of the passing of a very dear friend. We hadn't been as much in touch in recent years, but when we would talk we would always immediately start up right where we left off before and it was like no time had gone by at all. I spoke with her last early this past summer. While she had told me of some bumps in the road of her journey health wise, she was still the upbeat, vibrant, jovially spirited friend from days gone by. Ramona Miles passed away November 15, 2011. I had sent a Christmas card to her and her mother, per usual and got back a letter from her mother and her memorial program. To my fans, you may remember Ramona for her wonderful vocals in my dramatic, audio play Tears and Thunder (1996) where she sang with me on Amazing Grace for the funeral scene and did an awesome acapella version of The Lord's Prayer. Ramona was an amazing artist and I am so thankful to her now, more than ever before, because I will always have her voice as a gift to me, and her friends and family. I have included links to those videos later in this post, as well as a poem for and in memory of her.

HER WAY

a poem for and in memory of Ramona Lavette Miles

Sunrise: August 10, 1968

Sunset: November 15, 2011

You may be gone in the physical, my angelic friend

But you will never be too far away from me

With a steady hand and steadfast devotion to those you held dear

You always were a protector, a doer

When I think back on our friendship I smile, even though

Missing you, tears fill my eyes that I wipe away

Honestly, I want to thank you

For your candor, your laughter and simply, very simply, your way

You just had a style and grace that made you so unique

Set apart from any other I have known really

You were a find so rare and genuine

I knew it straight out, right from the beginning

There you were, laid out and decked to the nines

That first meeting was all about business

But from that point forward we were thick as thieves

Friendship was instant and ones like that you don’t question

Like two spirits moving through this world,

You showed me who I could be and to never feel shame or fright

You told me to embrace all that God has given

And how to seek out and shine that inner light

You always had a presence, an aura …a way

About you, that made me feel welcome

And everybody who we’d meet along that path

Would bask in the brightness of your beautiful smile

You are in Heaven, that I already know

For you wouldn’t have it any other way

I know you will watch over us left behind

Just as sure as tomorrow will follow today

My one singular moment with you that I remember the most,

It was a very dark day for me and I felt like I couldn’t go

I had made myself sick, felt unworthy and filled with nothingness

You took me by the chin and told me I had to do my show

There was no getting out of it,

That I was stronger than whatever negative thing bringing me down

Then you told a silly joke and we both laughed

Turning up a smile that seconds before was a mere frown

You pushed me to always keep going, that was the norm for you and I

It was nothing for you to show me a brighter side, a better way

If something doesn’t work at first, do it again, give it another try

That was just you, your spirit and essence of it; your fabulous, wonderful way

Copyright ©2011 Antonio Cassone

Pictured: Ramona and I out and about celebrating some sort of thing, which is what we would tend to do. A lot of laughter was involved for sure... Good times with a very good friend.

to hear Ramona with me singing "Amazing Grace (Funeral Scene)" from Tears and Thunder go to http://youtu.be/us_xJ95Zps8

to hear Ramona's version of "The Lord's Prayer" from Tears and Thunder go to http://youtu.be/ok9Jf2lhzwo

both recordings produced & engineered by Scott Sumner, The Disc Ltd (1996)