Ascension Products

History of the Ascension Poem

Since writing Ascension in 1987 it has taken a dynamic life of its own. It was the beginning of a greeting card business that I started in 1989. It starred in a greeting card that became a classic and high demand sympathy card; I titled the card, Ascension to the Light. The image was on the cover of Challenge Magazine and the popular Body, Mind & Spirit Magazine with my poem featured inside. I created a 16" x 20" poster with the poem and promoted these products in my catalogs for years.

It caught the eye of hospice workers very early on, who would call or E-mail me to let me know how important it was. Individuals would let me know with beautiful letters and correspondence how touched they were by the poem. Many of these letters were so heartfelt and so moving that I would cry reading them as I felt their heart and pain so intimately shared in their writings.

By 1994 bestselling author, Tom Clancy, published Ascension in the forward's of Without Remorse and later paid tribute to me in Executive Orders. Thus began the many translations of Ascension from the top author's powerful distribution numbers. Ascension traveled the globe with Putnam's massive printings. I received letters from Italy asking for my autograph--a first for me. Some collected my autograph for their sons and daughters to "have the autograph of a great poet one day". Ah! Bless the Italians who exalt poets and the arts.

Other books have asked and received permission from me to publish the poem within the book, such as Christy Lowry's, Pam; Pam Evan's "Dead as I'll Ever Be", Joan Kennedy, "Bold Reflections: Dare to be Who You Are", and from Anoka County Coroner, Dr. Janis Amatuzio's, "Forever Ours".

Other publishers and companies have not been as honorable. One publisher used the poem in tens of thousands of books without permission and detaching my name from my work and attributing the work to grand poetess, Emily Dickinson. While honored to be in Miss Dickinson's company, the error perpetuates a myth that is reused in numerous public forums.

Ascension made the news from notorious men. News show, Dateline did a story about a man who faked his death Leaving behind a bloody shoe and the Ascension poem. America's Most Wanted, the Fox program that provides a forum for putting away our felons, did a story about another man who "faked his death". The felon left his SUV vehicle behind empty--but for Tom Clancy's Book, Without Remorse on his seat. Ascension, of course, featured in the forward page in both instances, the poem and the book left behind, hinted to their family members, to "know that they live on...".

And repetitively heard on the news often and who's highly publicized court trial was on Court TV for four months was author, Michael Peterson's trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen Peterson who's sound bite constantly quoted a derivative of my poem, that he "whispered her name a thousands times in his heart...". I understand a Durham, North Carolina Ascension fan who knew the difference about my poem, that the poem was read at Kathleen's funeral service and printed on her memorial program attributing my work, Ascension, to Emily Dickinson. And further put on her memorial headstone again as Dickinson's words.

I contacted the Emily Dickinson Society and the Emily Dickinson Museum with letters, correspondence, and E-mail. Neither organization will respond to me. So I understand places such as Tallahassee Botanical Gardens created a large bronze plaque before entering their sanctuary with the poem, Ascension, on it--attributing it to Emily Dickinson. My letter to them to inform them again remains unanswered. You may find web sites sometimes 22,000 or more that feature Ascension for their loved one, or even for their pets online. So many sites it becomes humanly impossible to even take the time to inform them of the error. However, I do try to allow some time to do when I am able.

Still the beautiful letters would come in. From prisoners, young people, mothers who tragically lost their children, and seniors who lost their spouses after years of battling cancer, or after sixty years together. One gentleman carefully cut out a high school picture of his wife from an old yearbook, to show me what she looked like when they first met decades ago. High schools would dedicate their yearbook to a beloved classmate who transitioned too early and mourned by the whole school, their yearbook sent to me after publishing my poem in her memory.

Still it continues to grow. Parks are dedicated memorial areas with Ascension. After 9/11 a large memorial that featured Ascension was created by a fraternity house in memory of their fraternity brother who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald and was killed in the 9/11 tragedy. I hear from mothers who have tragically lost their children in car accidents at 18 and can't bear to touch their rooms for years, hoping their son or daughter will return to use their notebook or skates.

I've written many, many pages of work. Most of it unrecognized to date, but perhaps could be changing slightly. My first book is coming out published by Simon & Schuster Pocket Books. The trade paperback, Rabbit Heart, due on May 2, 2006 is suspense novel about a French temptress who excites men to their death. Simon & Schuster plans to publish it as a series, so I am currently writing Rabbit Heart 2. I've written many works on death and dying and additional poems, and a column, Going Up, that I hope hospice organizations may find of interest. Meanwhile I love hearing where you have seen my poem. So I ask this question of you...

Have you ever had an Ascension poem sighting?

E-mail us at HospiceMemory@aol.com

Celebrity Exposure

Ascension has had several bouts with celebrity. Baby Boomers will all remember dearly one of my favorite Ascension sightings was just recently Lew Anderson, bettern known as the ClaraBelle the Clwon from the Howdy Doody show with Buffalo Bob when TV was in its infancy. Ascension was read at Lew's funeral services. Special thanks to his daughter, Margaret Anderson, for allowing me to mention it. I've received a number of requests to engrave the poem on headstones. Here's one from Valleyview Cemetary in Dudleyville, Arizona. Taken by "Doc" who is webmaster of the Deuce of Clubs Web Site. "Doc" tells me he has about 6,000 web pages, including pictures of headstones he collects from throughout the United States.

Thank you, Doc. Click here to visit Doc's Deuce of Clubs Website.

Sometimes the notoriety was from a darker side. Court TV did daily coverage for several months for novelist, Michael Peterson's trial. He was charged with the brutal murder of his wife, Kathleen Peterson. When interviewed his sound bite, "I whisper her name in my heart a thousand times." was a derivative quote from my poem and aired many times a day during the trial. Ascension was read at Kathleen's funeral service and I understand was in her memorial program. Further it was engraved on her headstone. All incorrectly attributed to the great poetess, Emily Dickinson. My alert fan, Wanda from Durham, North Carolina sent me interesting clippings from the paper during the trial. Vance Holmes has a site that features Ascension along with a detailed background of the Michael Peterson trial. Vance Williams site about the Michael Peterson Case. John Walsh, star of America's Most Wanted, featured a story on his show about a man who faked his death. Leaving behind his vehicle in the woods and only one thing in his car. The Tom Clancy hardcover book that featured my poem, Ascension. This has been done two other times that I've heard of. One was also featured on NBC's Dateline where my poem was left behind after a man left a bloody shoe behind and my poem. In any of the instances the feared victim did turn up alive, but the poem apparently left behind a clue to their families they were indeed alive.

Ascension Interview with Colleen Hitchcock

Q: Since writing Ascension in 1987 it seems to have taken a dynamic life of its own. How was Ascension first introduced to the public?

A: It was the beginning of a greeting card business that I started in 1989. The Ascension verse starred in a greeting card that became a classic and high demand sympathy card; I titled the card, Ascension to the Light and was an image of spirits going into the light by artist, Delmary Dennis. The image was on the cover of Challenge Magazine and the popular Body, Mind & Spirit magazine with my poem featured inside. I created a 16" x 20" poster with the poem and promoted these products in my catalogs for years.

Q: How was it that hospice became interested in Ascension then?

A: Ascension caught the eye of hospice workers very early on, who would call or E-mail me to let me know how important it was. Individuals would let me know with beautiful letters and correspondence how touched they were by the poem. Some folks would send me tender photos of their loved ones. A widower who was married sixty years cut out his wife's high school photo and taped it to his letter. Many of these letters were so heartfelt and so moving that I would cry reading them as I felt their heart and pain they shared in their writings. In the beginning I didn't feel able to handle the responsiblity.

Q: What do you mean by couldn't handle the responsibility?

A: People were asking me for more writings. They didn't want to read my silly poems or my short stories. They were asking for my thoughts on death and dying. I wasn't ordained. i wasn't a professional in handling grief. In fact, I was having a horrible time in getting over the loss of my father. And I didn't feel prepared to offer solutions for any soul, when I was still soul-searching.

By 1994 best-selling author, Tom Clancy, published Ascension in the forward's of Without Remorse and later paid tribute to me in Executive Orders. Thus began the many translations of Ascension from the top author's powerful distribution numbers. Ascension traveled the globe with Putnam's massive printings. I began to receive letters of appreciation around the world. Two letters where from individuals in South Africa and Sweden, told me they were about to commit suicide and read Ascension and changed their minds. They wrote me in gratitude as the words stopped them. One man in Ohio called to tell me that he was married to a wonderful woman for 53 years who bravely fought her cancer for 13 years. He was beside himself with grief after she passed and told me the only way that he got through his grief was to read Ascension 6 times a day for 6 months. He knew it by heart. Every punctuation. He sent me a teddy bear that his wife had made by hand and a blue jean purse. I still cherish these items.

Other books have asked and received permission from me to publish the poem within the book, such as Christy Lowry's, Pam; Pamela Evan's Dead as I'll Ever Be, Joan Kennedy, Bold Reflections: Dare to be Who You Are, and from well-known Coroner, Dr. Janis Amatuzio's, Forever Ours

Q: How is it that Ascension is often attributed to Emily Dickinson?

A: Other publishers and companies have not been as honorable, as the authors above. One publisher used the poem in tens of thousands of books without permission and detaching my name from my work and attributing the work to grand poetess, Emily Dickinson.

While honored to be in Miss Dickinson's company, the error perpetuates a myth that is reused in numerous public forums.

Ascension made the news from notorious men. News show, Dateline did a story about a man who faked his death Leaving behind a bloody shoe and the Ascension poem. America's Most Wanted, the Fox program that provides a forum for putting away our felons, did a story about another man who faked his death;. The felon left his SUV vehicle behind empty--but for Tom Clancy's Book, Without Remorse on his seat. Ascension, of course, featured in the forward page in both instances, the poem and the book left behind, hinted to their family members, to "know that they live on...".

And repetitively heard on the news often and who's highly publicized court trial was on Court TV for four months was author, Michael Peterson's trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen Peterson who's sound bite constantly quoted a derivative of my poem, that he "whispered her name a thousands times in his heart...". I understand a Durham, North Carolina Ascension fan who knew the difference about my poem, that the poem was read at Kathleen's funeral service and printed on her memorial program attributing my work, Ascension, to Emily Dickinson. And further put on her memorial headstone again as Dickinson's words.

Still it continues to grow. Parks are dedicated memorial areas with Ascension. After 9/11 a large memorial that featured Ascension was created by a fraternity house in memory of their fraternity brother who worked for Kantor Fitzgerald and was killed in the 9/11 tragedy. I hear from mothers who have tragically lost their children in car accidents at 18 and can't bear to touch their rooms for years, hoping their son or daughter will return to use their notebook or skates.

I've written many, many pages of work. Most of it unsubmitted to publishers, although I plan to get on it a little bit more. I'm now 55 and if not now--when?, My first book was sold within a week or so from submission to my William Morris agent and published by Simon & Schuster Pocket Books. The trade paperback, Rabbit Heart, is suspense novel about a French temptress who excites men to their death.

I've written many works on death and dying and additional poems, and a Newsletter, Going Up, that I hope hospices and other businesses may find of interest. Meanwhile I love hearing where you have seen my poem. So I ask this question of you...

Have you ever had an Ascension poem sighting?

E-mail us at MissNovel@aol.com