The ancestral chorus of angels received more new members this month.
Tributes to James Earl Jones, Frankie Beverly, and Tito Jackson abound. We take this moment to share the obituary of one new angel who has not been as widely celebrated but who is of incredible importance to many in the Seattle region, the legendary music director, Robert Knatt.
Mr. Knatt became an ancestor at the end of August at age 76. Knatt taught music at Rainier Beach High School, South Shore Middle School, and Washington Middle School, retiring in 2008 after 36 years in education. In retirement, Knatt continued to teach and inspire by joining JazzEd where he taught middle and high school students for six years. Mr. Knatt's legacy and his smile will live on in the hearts of thousands of students whom he lovingly nurtured throughout his career.
To honor the passing and the contributions each of these ancestors have poured into our lives, we share the words of Audre Lorde.
If You Come Softly
If you come as softly
As the wind within the trees
You may hear what I hear
See what sorrow sees.
If you come as lightly
As threading dew
I will take you gladly
Nor ask more of you.
You may sit beside me
Silent as a breath
Only those who stay dead
Shall remember death.
And if you come I will be silent
Nor speak harsh words to you.
I will not ask you why now.
Or how, or what you do.
We shall sit here, softly
Beneath two different years
And the rich between us
Shall drink our tears.
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