Jennifer Leah Rose was born April 16, 1976. She died December 30th, 2000 in a car accident in Namibia where she was traveling with her friends. She went to Malawi in June of 1999 and had been working as an aid educator in the Mwanza district. The following poem was written for her funeral by her uncle Magdelano Rose-Avila, a former Peace Corps country director for Nicaragua, Guatemala, Paraguay and Micronesia.
SHE WONDERED WHY
she asked it more than once
she would question us all
she looked for answers
in the rain
on the backroads to any where
she would go out on the ledge
right to the edge
and sometimes way beyond
she often was found dancing with the wind
she pushed her sun closer to her moon
she pushed her dreams higher than before
reaching out she touched the stars
that earlier had seemed unreachable
her fear had been replace by curiosity
her vegan diet was often spiced with large doses of risk
unafraid she embraced the night
kissed the storm
and lived each moment as if it were her last
she filled her days and nights with more than anyone thought possible
she had no fear
it seemed……
searching for a world way beyond
she was always on the ledge
she went right to the edge
and sometimes way beyond
Photos and text shared by Jennifer's mother