Friday, November 29, 2019
Luce and I were fortunate to have known Phil and Janis; they were our neighbors and friends in Isle of Capri, Treasure Island, Florida. I have my 25 ft McGregor sailboat but most of the time I went out with Phil on his Tina III, a superb Hallberg-Rassy, 31 ft for about eight years in the Gulf of Mexico. Once, when his daughter Emily was visiting, we sailed with Emily to a nearby tiny island, Egmont Key. Phil stayed on board as Emily and I swam to the island. Another time we got stuck in the mud at low tide in the Boca Ciega Bay. Phil expertly got us unstuck... Once, on my boat, my little 6 HP motor stalled dangerously close to the John's Pass bridge. Phil was calm and showed me how to restart the motor. It worked. So many memories; Luce and I had so many things in common with Phil and Janis; Phil and I play the piano (He also played the saxophone) and when our son Philippe came to visit we would all sit around my piano and both Phil's would entertain us through the evening. Phil Benson and I liked to cook; we would check with each other: what we were preparing for supper almost daily, it seemed... The four of us had many meals at various restaurants of the St. Petersburg area. Phil liked to speak to us in French; we shared our love for traveling especially in Europe. We liked to sit and listen to Phil tell stories of his music bands in Africa, Europe and in the USA (at one point he was the only white man in the band)... How he rode a bicycle in Paris to go teach his classes... Janis graciously gave us an autographed copy of her book; "From Sweden to Mallorca". She also wrote a published article about Phil buying his own boat back after selling it! Then came the turbulent times when Janis and Phil had accidents caused by the two flights of stairs in their home. So Phil and Janis moved to an Assisted Living facility a few years ago. Luce and I continued to visit Phil and Janis in their new home; still speaking to Phil in French. Yes he maintained a sharp mind throughout. In January, 2016, I wrote the following poem about Phil and Janis (Phil had sold his Tina III for good this time) and included it in a booklet that I gave Phil. Janis passed away in October, 2017. Phil had been in mourning ever since. Luce and I visited Phil until early this summer when we traveled to Canada and Europe as we usually do. We came back in October and I regret not having been to check on him since we came back. As Phil would have said: "C'est la vie mon ami".
Different views
I looked out my deck one morning
in February, friendship seeking
and there it was in its usual place,
the friendly osprey with a fierce-looking face.
It was perched on the upper mast spreader
of the 41-foot Beneteau sailboat ten yards away
with a small fish in one claw, a balance master,
daring other birds to test its resolve
for keeping its meal of the day
In the afternoon the patient osprey
was still there, still holding its prey…
Phil Benson often liked to sit in his deck,
watch the Gulf of Mexico backwaters -
of the Boca Ciega Bay - and check
for the osprey as it claimed its favorite
spot on the same boat mast; For the two, a habit ….
Now the osprey has to seek a different
vantage point, surely with another water view;
the Beneteau sold, simply glided away, indifferent…
Nature stillness contrasting with our need for the new.
Now Phil has also a different view;
He and his wife Janis moved to an
Assisted-Living high-rise, with meals on a tray.
Still overlooking Boca Ciega Bay…
But there’s no Beneteau and no osprey.
___________
Good bye my friend. May the gentle winds of heaven fill your sails to go where you'll meet Janis, the love of your life.. and where you'll enchant the angels with your wit and with your music.
Magdy Battikha/ Treasure Island, Florida.
(727) 408-6651 
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