You know, some days I don't even think about it...
and sometimes I think about it all day long.
( Sighing )
I need that strength of yours, Mom.
I don't think I can get through this without you.
( Gasps )
( vehicle approaching )
( truck doors open and close )
I miss you, Mom.
MAN: A little more.
( Mechanical whirring )
MAN: Watch out for the angel wings.
Down, down...
( engine starting )
MONICA: If I were going to write a poem, Tess,
I'd write it here in Woods Ferry.
It's beautiful here.
TESS: Clarice Mitchell can write a poem anywhere...
On a porch, on the beach.
( water lapping softly )
Do you know, I have even seen her write a poem
in the middle
of Yankee Stadium.
I've always fancied myself
something of a poet too, you know.
( Chuckling ): Oh, really?
Mm-hmm.
I can see
exactly what needs to be done with her already.
Oh, you can, can you?
Sure. Hardly anything rhymes.
Well, for your information, Clarice is my assignment.
CLARICE: Promises fulfilled
on the wings of night.
And now, you...
On the wings of night rest you now in its shade.
( Cooing )
On the wings of night rest you now in its shade.
MAN: Mom?
What time is it here, two hours ahead?
That's right.
Well, I'm all settled in.
Did you finish the poem?
Just now.
Well, looks like nothing's changed around here.
Oh... everything has changed.
You hang in there, Mom, okay?
Megan is late.
She'll be here.
If this is your assignment,
what am I doing here?
I don't know, but He told me to bring you along.
Well, if that was the plan,
sure can't be wrong.
( Chuckling )
Rhymes.
Now, you stop this right now.
This is a very solemn occasion.
Clarice's poetry has transformed souls
and inspired entire nations.
Her gift has become a national treasure.
God gives her the words,
and often I've been privileged to deliver them.
However...
the next message she receives...
won't be from God...
but from the grave.
( Band playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" )
Hey, everybody.
Hey, how you doing?
TESS: That's the, uh, grieving daughter.
She must be your assignment.
♫ When you walk down the road ♫♫
♫ Heavy burden, heavy load ♫
♫ I will rise and I will walk with you ♫
♫ I will walk with you ♫
♫ Till the sun don't even shine ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Every time, I tell you I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Believe me, I'll walk with you. ♫
You see, Megan, your mother spoke to me.
She said she would like to have a simple ceremony.
But this is simple.
I mean, we come here, we share some things,
we celebrate life... What could be more simple?
Sam.
I didn't expect to see you.
That's why I'm here.
( Sighing )
Megan, you look beautiful.
I'll bet you say that to all the mourners.
Megan!
Hello. Hello.
Uh, we're looking for Clarice Mitchell.
SAM: Hello, I'm Sam.
Welcome.
My name is Tess,
and this is my friend, Monica.
MONICA: Hello. We were hoping to register
for the poetry workshop.
Are you a poet, too?
Oh, no.
Professor Mitchell is my mother.
I'm sorry, I thought we contacted everyone.
The workshop has been postponed.
You see, there's been a death.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Clarice, you should still give the workshop.
Megan, you should show more respect.
But Mom always said she wanted to go out with a bang!
( Loud pop )
My God!
Megan!
Clarice, come on.
Remember when Mom decided to cook for Thanksgiving,
and she put cayenne pepper on the turkey instead of paprika,
and she told us to be thankful we still had mouths left?
( Chuckling )
Everybody's got a story like that.
I remember when she stole the frogs from the biology lab
to keep them from being dissected.
Come on!
Come on, who else?
Gracie.
I-I remember when Dottie told you, Clarice,
about a little boy
who needed a home.
That was the best tip
she ever gave me.
I'm Katherine Wentworth.
You might not remember me, Professor Mitchell,
but I took your poetry class my freshman year,
and I had your mother
that same year for physics,
which I knew absolutely
nothing about.
But somehow, Dr. Brooks made physics seem like poetry.
MEGAN: Who else?
I remember when Sam and Megan went to the senior prom,
and Dottie thought they might elope,
so she sent me in a car to follow them.
I never knew that.
The only lawyer Dottie ever trusted.
Well, I lost you two that night,
and Dottie almost had my hide.
( Chuckling )
I love you, Clarice.
"Future days,
"Promises dreamed on the whisper of hope,
"Hold us.
Forever in your gaze."
To Dorothy Louise Brooks,
in celebration.
( Chuckling )
Thank you, thank you.
( Sighing )
You look beat.
I'll go get your suitcases from the porch, okay?
Thanks.
So, did you and Sam ever really try to elope?
No.
Sam went off to Arizona State,
and I went to Boston University.
I met a wonderful man, and I married him.
Oh, is he here?
I don't think I met him.
No, he, um, he died over a year ago.
SAM: Hey.
Here we go.
I, uh, I set up a very special room for you.
As long as
it's not the attic.
Bingo.
( Chuckling )
We had our very first kiss up there.
And our last.
SAM: Well, hey, now, you never know.
Yes, I do.
Excuse me, Monica.
Sure.
TESS: You were wonderful.
Oh, thank you.
You did wonderful.
Thank you.
I'm not sure about that, uh, workshop,
but I do have two extra rooms.
That's a great idea.
And I am an excellent cook,
and I'll fix us something to eat.
And talk about that workshop.
Uh, if I could just have a minute of your time, Clarice.
Of course, Howard.
Before Dottie died,
she gave me this to give to you,
and she specifically asked
that you not read it until...
well, until after the memorial service.
I'm not sure why she didn't just give it to you herself.
She knew me.
She knew I'd be too impatient to wait, but...
but this time, I... I'll wait.
Thanks, Howard.
Sure.
It is a beautiful guest room,
but I miss the mess it used to be.
SAM: Remember?
MEGAN: Yeah.
I've missed you, Meg.
Really? Guess that's why you stopped writing.
Well, I was... stupid then.
Yeah, well, that's old news.
I'm tired of old news.
I really think I threw Clarice for a loop today.
I should have warned her about that band and everything.
( Chuckling )
It's just that, uh...
I'm just so tired of crying all the time.
I think she understood.
You know, when Matthew died,
I had my mother to talk to.
Now she's gone...
and I...
And you have me.
Well, that's why I came.
Well, that is news.
Come here.
♫ Wade in the water ♫
♫ Wade in the water, children ♫
♫ Wade in the water ♫
♫ God's gonna trouble the water ♫
♫ Wade in the water ♫
( Monica singing off-key ) ♫ Wade in the water, children ♫
♫ Wade in the water ♫
♫ Wade in the water... ♫
Well, why did you stop?
It sounded lovely.
Well, parts of it did.
( Ice cream truck approaching )
Hey, Megan, listen.
Mr. Bishop.
Is he still running that ice cream truck?
That man will never stop.
Let's go.
Okay.
MONICA: Megan told me
they were high school sweethearts.
Well, Dottie and I always used to joke
and talk about sharing grandchildren.
But you can't choose your children's lives for them.
In the meantime, the workshop starts in the morning.
No, I've canceled that.
There's nobody here.
Well, what are we, chopped liver?
Monica and I
are here, and a lot of people at the party
said they'd come, too.
Well, maybe... maybe I'll do it.
It might be just what I need.
This is beautiful.
Where did you get it?
Frank and Dottie.
She said, "Nothing special."
She said I just needed a crystal bowl.
I'm sorry.
I'll, uh, I'll start the dishes.
It's all right.
( Crying )
See... this is from Dottie.
I know I'm supposed to read it,
but I-I just can't do it.
Would you read it for me?
Of course I will.
"My dear friend,
"You thought you'd heard
"the last of me, huh?
"Don't ever think I'm gone away from you.
"We've shared too much of life,
"and that's what this letter is about...
"the life I've left behind.
"I need you to look after
"my little girl, Clarice.
"Don't let that happy face of hers fool you.
"She's in a lot of pain.
"Not just because of me.
"Her husband didn't have cancer, Clarice.
"He died of AIDS,
and Megan has the virus now, too."
( sobbing )
Do you want me to stop?
No, go on.
"Clarice, please don't let her know
"that I've told you.
"You know, Megan, she's very private,
"and when she's ready, she'll tell you,
"but I want you to be prepared.
"She thinks she can do it alone, but she can't.
"I need you to be her guardian angel.
"I don't know which is worse...
"to have your child die before you,
"or to die knowing that you can't be there when your child
"is going to need you the most.
"Clarice, you were there when I delivered Megan into this world.
"You held her in your arms even before her father did.
"Now, I deliver her to your care once again.
Love, Dottie."
Oh... Oh...
sweet, sweet baby.
Sweet baby.
It's going to be all right. It's going to be all right.
Oh, yes, it's going to be all right.
Yes, darling,
it's going to be all right.
Good morning.
And a beautiful morning it is.
Did you see that sun rise?
Do you know what it takes to do that?
Is that all your breakfast? Just those pills?
Oh, it's just vitamins.
I've been kind of a health nut, you know?
Good morning, everybody.
Good morning. Morning, Sam.
Good morning.
Well, it looks like you've been out already, huh?
Yeah, I've had my run,
and now I'm going to tackle the garage.
Howard sold Dottie's house
when she first went into the hospital,
and all of her things are stored in the garage.
Well, you going to go through your mother's stuff alone?
It's now or never.
Let me help.
Really?
Uh, but you've got to take that bus
if you're going to get to that plane.
Well, we'll just
do what we can.
Remember when Dottie used to read this to us?
The Five Little Peppers and How they Grew.
( chuckles )
You know, you should keep this
and maybe read it to your kids someday.
No, you keep it.
At the rate you're going,
you'll probably have kids way before me.
What's that supposed to mean?
Oh, Mom and Clarice have kept me up-to-date
on your little dating schedule.
Let's see, there was, uh, Lynn...
Too perky.
( Chuckles )
Debra Jo.
Not perky enough.
Uh, Kate, the writer.
Oh, okay, okay, let's face it, Meg.
None of them were you.
Sam...
why did you stop writing?
Well, we were so young, and...
God, I was so crazy about you.
To tell you the truth,
it scared me to death.
Then you married Matthew.
I figured I'd lost you for good.
I told Clarice I'd take Sam to the bus.
Where is he?
I don't know.
What rhymes with "gossamer," Tess?
What are you doing?
My assignment.
I'm working on my poem.
Might as well do something constructive.
Well, you can start by forgetting "gossamer."
It's overdone and unrhymable.
But rhyming is my forte.
Oh, give me a break.
Where is that boy?
He's going to miss his bus.
Oh, I think that's them
up in the tree.
Samuel!
Samuel.
Oh! Oh!
( Megan laughing )
You're going to miss
your bus.
Mom, you're always complaining
about how I never spend enough time here.
Now that you've got me, you can't wait to get rid of me.
No, it's just... I just don't want you to jeopardize your job.
I mean, make your boss angrier.
Mom, I am the boss.
Yeah, well, what about that girl?
Your girlfriend in Phoenix.
Dana or Danna, something like that.
She's going to miss you.
Now, that's been over for months, okay?
I just want to spend a few extra days here.
You know, I think we should all
spend some time together, how about it?
Well, of course.
Of course.
Resolve, and yet listen for the voice that is still.
Be still.
Very pretty.
Thank you.
And what about you, Monica?
( Clears throat )
Roses are red,
Angels are gossamer.
Hold onto your souls,
And make sure you floss some more.
Floss some more?
Floss some more?!
That's not a poem, that's a prescription.
Sit down.
SAM: Excuse us.
We were just on our way to having a picnic.
Wait, uh...
would you take Monica with you?
Just show her some
of the countryside.
Please.
Woo! That is a sheer beauty.
MONICA: Oh, and such a lovely colour.
This thing hasn't been driven in years.
I think the last time I was in it, probably was...
BOTH: The prom!
( laughing )
SAM: Poor Howard.
Oh...
( chuckling )
All right.
( Engine struggles )
( rapid clicking )
Well...
it was a good idea.
Why don't you let me try?
Go on, pop the hood.
Okay.
Edsels are old, the Packard's Jurassic,
but don't lose your faith, 'cause the T-bird's a classic.
( Engine starts )
Hey. All right!
All right.
You know, I've heard that three is a crowd, so...
why don't you both go off and enjoy the car, hmm?
Thanks.
Okay.
That sounds good.
Here we go.
I wonder if this thing can, uh,
can make it to Phoenix.
I'd probably need a copilot on the trip, though.
You're still going to fix us something to eat, aren't you?
You know, Megan, that's...
that's what I love about you.
You're such a romantic.
You always used to say that.
Why do you say that?
What? That you're a romantic
or that I love you?
Sam, you said that 15 years ago.
Yeah, well, some things never change.
( Scoffs )
You left me.
I'm not blaming you. I got over it.
It's just that we can't go back.
At least I can't.
Look...
I know you still miss Matthew,
but you've got your whole life ahead of you.
And I want us to be together.
( Sighs )
Oh, really?
Since when?
I knew when you married Matthew
that I made a huge mistake.
Sam, you have no idea.
Okay, maybe it's too soon.
It's not too soon... It's too late.
It's too damn late!
Sam...
Matt didn't die of cancer.
He, uh...
before I knew him, he got into drugs and, uh,
shared needles.
He, uh, kicked the habit
long before we got married,
but what he didn't know, and what I didn't know...
Sam, Matt died of AIDS,
and I tested HIV positive about two years ago.
I, uh, I only have the-the virus so far.
Sometimes I... I don't really think about it.
Like today.
Sam...
say something, please.
I don't know...
what to say.
It's okay.
Nobody ever does.
Do me a favour?
( Sighs )
Sure.
Uh, take the car back.
And I'll just...
I just feel like walking.
Okay... okay.
Go.
( Car driving away )
( screen door squeaking )
Hi, I...
I was worried about you.
I just went for a walk.
Did Sam get back yet?
CLARICE: Megan, Sam left.
MEGAN: What?
He came back,
he said he was taking the car to Phoenix, and he left.
( Clattering ) Oh!
( Crying )
MONICA: Megan, we can glue those back together.
You have some good memories with Sam, don't you?
I was, uh...
going to be Queen of the United States.
And, uh, Sam was going to be an intergalactic pirate.
Megan, I know those pills you're taking aren't just vitamins.
I don't want anybody to know.
Anybody.
Are you sure?
It's better if everyone just finds out when it's over.
Is that fair to the people who care about you?
They can't handle it.
Sam couldn't.
But I can...
and I'll be better off
if I can just get through this alone.
No.
I don't think you will.
I got as far as the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
You know, I was stupid enough to let you get away once, but...
I love you, Megan. I mean...
I mean, I've loved you ever since the second grade,
and I will always love you.
Don't, Sam.
Marry me.
Sam!
How can I say "yes"?
If you didn't have this illness...
But I do have it. I do.
Okay...
but if you didn't, what would you say?
Yes.
I would say "yes."
Okay, then, what are we talking about?
Hey, hey.
I want to marry you.
Sam...
it wouldn't be fair to you.
You know, look, I don't know how long we have.
I mean, who knows?
I mean, I-I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.
You know, probably the very same bus
you're going to leave town on,
because I'll jump in front of it.
Look. I know things are going to be tough,
but I want to be there.
Sam, look...
I appreciate everything you're trying to do.
I do, I do.
But if you want to do something for me...
be my friend.
I'm not trying to do anything,
and I am your friend.
But a friend can't be there for you like a husband can.
And I will love you...
and I will care for you.
Till death do we part.
Well...
that's the vow I want to make.
When I saw that old clunker on the road, I couldn't believe it.
Clunker?
It drives beautifully.
Well, that's a miracle, it's all I've got to say.
One I thought I'd never see.
Then...
it seems like anything can happen these days.
Right, Clarice?
Clarice?
I'm sorry, Howard.
What were you saying?
Well, Meg and Sam. I saw them on my way over here.
Looks like love to me.
Well, that's wonderful!
War and famine...
plagues have wiped out entire civilizations.
But love...
love has never been wiped out.
Hello, everyone.
CLARICE: Sam!
What are you doing back home?
Yes, I'm home.
Howard?
I'm glad you're here
so that you can enjoy
some of this champagne with us.
Champagne?! What's the occasion?
What is this about, Sam?
About patience, Mom, patience.
We have all been waiting a very long time for this.
I'd like to propose a toast
to Megan Eileen Ellison,
the woman I've loved all my life,
who today has made me the happiest man in the world.
Megan.
My bride-to-be.
( Clinks glasses ) Finally.
Now, Mom... you can
give us your blessings now,
and we'll take your poem
later at the wedding.
No, no, no, no, no!
Clarice?
I know that you have
the AIDS virus.
Your mother told me.
In her last letter.
Oh, my God.
CLARICE: How can you do this, Megan?!
She asked me to keep it secret.
To protect your privacy, but...
but how can you do this?!
How can you be so selfish?!
Clarice.
Dottie was my oldest friend, my dearest.
She gave you to me when she died.
She asked me to look after you, Megan.
Megan, I'm going to look after you.
Not for Dottie but for myself, because I love you.
But I have already lost Dottie...
and I know I'm going to lose you.
But I will not lose Sam, too!
I will not lose my only child!
I will not!
Megan...
this doesn't change anything.
No.
No, Sam.
She's right.
How dare you?
I can't believe you, Ma, I can't believe this.
Son, I took no pleasure from saying what I said,
but somebody had to say it.
As a matter of fact,
no one had to say it, but you said it anyway.
But, Sam, I told the truth.
It was hard to hear, I know it, but that was the truth.
Look at you.
You have your whole life stretched out in front of you,
and you're getting ready to make a sacrifice of it.
There is no sacrifice.
I'm not going to get AIDS.
There are precautions,
there's safe sex, no sex, whatever it takes.
I have a second chance to have her in my life.
And I'm taking it.
What kind of chance is this?
A chance to watch her die.
I'm not going to lose her again.
Oh, Sam,
you will lose her.
You will lose her as you feed her.
You will lose her as you wash her.
You will lose her as you just sit there looking at her.
You will lose her
when you see her wither away, Sam.
With screaming pain...
you will lose her.
And then finally, baby...
when it's all over for her,
it could just be beginning for you.
I love her.
But love won't save her now.
I am using my love to try to save you.
Can't you understand that?
This is real, son.
I know.
( Sobbing )
There was a poem you were trying to write
when you were 17,
sitting all alone in your daddy's barn.
But there was a word missing.
An image that you just couldn't quite put your finger on.
And you tilted your head,
and you listened to the wind in the rafters,
and I whispered one word...
"Joy."
It's your voice I've heard all my life.
Oh, no, I was only the messenger.
The words have always come from the poet.
I'm an angel, Clarice.
And it has been my privilege to deliver to you
the inspiration of God to direct your words
and to fulfill your gift.
From God?
Oh, words have flowed from Him to you and on into
the hearts of the mighty and the meek.
You've used your words to uplift...
and to restore.
Now that God wants to restore
you and your family,
you've closed your heart.
I could yell the words of God till the cows come home,
but you wouldn't hear.
Not until you let go
of your fear.
I have every reason in the world to be afraid now.
Clarice... you have given fear the power.
The power to make you fearful.
And now you want to pass that on to the two people you love most
in the world.
But this is a matter of life and death.
No.
This is a matter of life or death.
There's a time to live, and there's a time to die.
And this is Sam and Megan's time to live.
To love.
And you?
You've got to let them.
I don't think I can.
I don't think so.
No, not now.
All you see now is death behind you
and death in front of you.
Stop listening to fear.
Open up those ears of yours and listen to the poet.
Maybe you don't want to give them your blessing...
but He does.
I want to save them.
Precious...
there's nothing you can do...
but love them.
( Wings flapping )
( cooing )
Joy.
( Chuckling )
TESS: Hello?
Anybody up there?
Oh, there you are.
Is this a private party?
No.
Here, let me help you.
Thank you.
Welcome to my special place.
When I was a little kid,
I used to come up here to mull things over.
Well, did you ever mull over getting another
special place?
I guess I had too many other things on my mind.
Like now?
Yeah.
Sam, I got something to tell you.
Now, I'm not a poet like your mother,
and I'm not typically exciting on these revelation things.
Monica lights up like a Christmas tree half the time.
But I've always put stock in plain, old-fashioned facts,
even if sometimes they do come out a little rough.
I guess you're only human, right?
Well, that's my point.
Actually... I'm an angel and so is Monica.
Clarice took it pretty good, but she's a little artsy,
and she's sort of prepared for the unusual.
But you've had your fill of the unusual
recently, huh?
You want to go back to that angel thing?
God loves you and Megan and He rejoices in your love.
Don't let each other go.
( Sighs )
Listen, Tess...
whether you're... an angel or not,
I-I really appreciate the thought.
Really.
I'm... confused.
I mean, am I...
being naive?
I mean, is it too dangerous?
Well, there's nothing more dangerous than loving.
Unless it's not loving.
Sam, He didn't say it was going to be easy,
but He says it's surely going to be worthwhile.
God said this?
Can I have it in writing?
It's on the way.
( Chuckling )
I'll leave you with your thoughts.
Let me help you.
No... I think I'll take the back way down.
( Cooing )
( cooing )
( wind blowing )
TESS: And after you finish that,
come on down here,
there's somebody waiting to see you.
MEGAN: I know now.
I know I'm going to die.
But Mom, how... how am I going to live
without... the only family I-I've got left?
( Crying ): I don't want to die alone.
I'm afraid.
( Sobbing )
MONICA: Megan, Clarice and Sam
are your family.
And they must make their own choices.
But whatever choices they make,
I promise you, you will not die alone.
Monica?
There are all kinds of angels in this world, Megan,
but tonight you needed the real thing.
I am an angel.
An angel?
Yes, Megan.
And God sent me here to be with you.
Then let me just ask you one thing.
Why?
Why did He do this to me?
What did I do
to deserve this?
Nothing.
Megan, you've done nothing.
This is not a punishment.
God hasn't done this to you.
God didn't set this journey in motion.
He's just as angry as you are
that you have to walk this road.
But He promises you this, Megan:
He will walk this road with you,
and He will be there for you when you reach the end of it.
God loves you.
That's why He sent me here.
Then... can you stay with me through this?
For as long as it takes?
I think I would just get in Sam's way.
Sam is gone.
( Crying ): Clarice is gone.
No, they're not.
God has kept all of us very busy this night.
The love has always been there for you.
All any of you needed
was the courage to hold on to it.
CLARICE: We, unaccustomed to courage,
Exiles from delight,
Live coiled in shells of loneliness.
Until love leaves its high holy temple.
And comes into our sight.
To liberate us into life.
Love arrives,
And in its train come ecstasies.
Old memories of pleasure,
Ancient histories of pain.
Yet, if we are bold,
Love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls.
We are weaned from timidity.
In the flush of love's light.
We dare be brave,
And suddenly we see.
That love costs all that we are.
And all that we hope to be.
Yet it is only love which sets us free.
( Applause )
Congratulations.
And may God and his angels look after you and over you,
forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever.
( laughing )
Congratulations.
( Band playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" )
( chuckling )
I don't see why we couldn't stay for some cake.
You know very well why.
It's not such a bad poem, Tess.
I'm sure they would appreciate it.
Roses are red,
Napkins are handy...
That's my cue. ( engine starting )
Weddings are nifty,
'Cause they give you free candy.
Oh, God, why don't you help me?
Please, help me with this child.
( Dove cooing )