In Memoriam: A Tribute to Kevin Nicholas Roberts
Kevin Nicholas Roberts was a poet, college English Professor, author, husband to Jan and father to his angel dog Buddy. Kevin had two books published in the United Kingdom: Fatal Women, a collection of poetry and Quest for the Beloved: Awaking Truth & Beauty through Mystical Poetry, a book of literary criticism and philosophical discussion. Kevin was the founder and first editor of the poetry journal, Romantics Quarterly.
Kevin was empathic, showed immense compassion for people, animals, nature & spiritual forces; was a natural teacher and was the most spiritual person I had ever met. He was a great husband and best friend to me and Buddy. He always did the laundry and never passed up my homemade apple crisp. He loved to wander into the French Quarter, listen to the jazz music there and indulge in the sugary beignets from Cafe DuMonde. Kevin wore his heart on his sleeve and was honest about what he was feeling at any moment – whether that meant doing a jig and laughing at a funny movie or giving the neighbors something to ponder while he prayed to or cursed [his] God at the top of his lungs.
In October 2008, Kevin had an emergency surgery in New Orleans. His surgeon discovered that his health was deteriorating due to infected mesh. The mesh was used in a surgery that he had in 2005 (common practice in abdominal and urological surgeries) and his body tissue had grown into part of the mesh which made it impossible for the doctors to remove all of it. Kevin was losing quite a bit of weight and muscle mass. Eating caused him pain. We had no health insurance, and, although I was working as a paralegal, we were unable to find a doctor to see him on a cash-pay basis. The fear, dim prognosis of regaining his health and distress at watching himself waste away, compounded by our lack of health insurance, led Kevin to take his life on December 10, 2008.
Kevin was adept at using rhymed and metered verse to capture his raw emotions — transferring them into beautiful poetry and poignant stories. Of the following, “She Held My Shadow Gently” appears for the first time. I plan to publish more of Kevin’s work in the future, including additional unpublished poetry and stories, as and when I am able to deal with the journals that he kept.
~ Janice Roberts
Short Story: Going Home
♥ ♥ ♥
The author’s note written by Kevin, directly under the original hand-written copy of the above poem, reads as follows: “After manic break a few days earlier. Poem portrays both my wife and my angel simultaneously.”
Photo & Art Credits:
Header image by and courtesy of Clarita of Morguefile
Profile Photo, Kevin Roberts in New Orleans @ St. Elizabeth’s (when owned by author Anne Rice)
Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus, by John William Waterhouse, 1900
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NOTES:
This page will remain online as a tribute to Kevin. The poetry will be updated as each new issue is published.
Scarlet Literary Magazine 