Hilda van Stockum on Her Father, and Dreams 2001-2002

I have just posted some newly transcribed writing by Hilda van Stockum. It has some well-written information about her father, Bram van Stockum, and a story about her escape from being trapped in quicksand. Then she describes a series of her dreams. The dreams show, for example, that she was conscious of having less control over her money. She was grateful for the visitors who came, especially Brigid and Sheila, and the parishioners who drove her to church. But above all she expressed her loneliness. Despite all this, she wrote a terrific poem that is a tribute to her late husband Spike, sorrow at his absence, and the need for love to have an object to focus on. Here is the poem:

After a party when all have gone! (February 2002 - her 94th birthday month)
The farewell kisses,
The echoes of past fun,
The footsteps and the company
It's gone away, all done,
Oh how bereft it's left me,
How utterly alone,
It's like a sudden stumble
When off my feet I'm thrown.
I'm now alone, alone -
Like a dog without a bone -
No pleasure, except a lingering kiss,
Which only I remember, and miss -

Oh how our hearts falter without their echo,
The other heart with which to share -
It takes two or more to be content,
For only so can love be spent.

The full transcript is the last entry under HvS2000to2006 -
http://www.boissevain.us/hvs2000to2006/MemoriesandDreams.html.

Hilda van Stockum at Children's Book Fair, East Hampton

The East Hampton Book Fair was held at the Library yesterday and the books of my late mother Hilda van Stockum were shown and sold at my booth. In the space of a few hours I sold nine copies of "Little Old Bear", four copies of "Patsy and the Pup" (Boissevain Books) and three copies of "Penengro" (Boissevain Books), all published by Boissevain Books> I also sold two copies of "Pamela Walks the Dog" (Bethlehem Books) and there was much interest in "A Day on Skates" and "The Winged Watchman", both published by Bethlehem Books.
John Tepper Marlin