Jimbo - My Man in the chair

[Jimbos son]

Hi all,

My father James Cunningham 'Jimbo' passed away peacefully on 24th March 2025.

I loved him dearly.

He introduced me to Cohen and brought me to Kilmainham to see him in 2009.

All I have left now are pictures and memories so I am trawling through this forum to try and reconnect with his soul through his words and poetry. I would really love to hear from anyone who knew him. Please reach out if you would like to discuss anything to do with him.

While I am here, I wanted to share with you a poem that I wrote in 2018 about dad's health struggles and my unconditional love for him. I will leave it below. Let me know if you have any thoughts on it.

Grá Mór,

Jamie

[Jimbos son]

‘My man in the chair’ -JC June 2018


He can’t run or walk,
But boy can he talk,
My man in the chair.

At one point he could drink,
The amount in a sink,
My man in the chair.

His best friend is a dog,
Through the long hard slog,
My man in the chair.

He begs and he nags
‘Till he gets all his fags,
My man in the chair.

When he wins at his cards ,
He can reach for the stars,
My man in the chair.

At times it gets rough,
And the going gets tough,
For My man in the chair.

But He will bounce back once more,
Like he did before,
My man in the chair.

My promise is clear,
I will always be here,
For my man in the chair.

Until Father Time,
Says he’s no longer mine ,
My man in the chair.

I will cherish the gift ,
To be able to lift,
My man in the chair.

And when he is free,
He will no longer be,
A man in a chair.

He will be once again,
The Towering man,
That he was before.

[LisaLCFan]

‘My man in the chair’ -JC June 2018

That is a beautiful and very touching poem, it brought tears to my eyes. I can definitely relate to the sentiments that you express. Thank you.

[Jimbos son]

Thank you so much Lisa for your kind words. I am really glad to hear that my poem moved you.

Do you think that 'The Towering Man' would be a better name for it?
Would you make any other changes?

I wrote this poem at a time where we were really struggling with dads failing legs and health.

I never had the heart to show him , because it talks about his ultimate death and freedom. Amd I didn't want him to think that he was a burden. when in fact it was the opposite.

I hope that he likes it.

[Jimbos son]

‘My man in the chair’ -JC June 2018

That is a beautiful and very touching poem, it brought tears to my eyes. I can definitely relate to the sentiments that you express. Thank you.

Thank you so much Lisa for your kind words. I am really glad to hear that my poem moved you.

Do you think that 'The Towering Man' would be a better name for it?
Would you make any other changes?

I wrote this poem at a time where we were really struggling with dads failing legs and health.

I never had the heart to show him , because it talks about his ultimate death and freedom. Amd I didn't want him to think that he was a burden. when in fact it was the opposite.

I hope that he likes it.

[its4inthemorning]

Very touching words Jimbo, and thoughtfully arranged. I think I would have liked your father!

4

[dar]

Wonderful words to honor your dad. I remember what fun we had interacting in the old newsgroup days of Cohen fans. Jimbo was a regular there and he had a great sense of humor. Sad to hear he struggled in his later years but not surprised to see he managed to get his fags out of you any way he could. That sounds like Jimbo. What a wonderful love you shared with him and he with you. Looks like you have a bit of the poet in you too. My condolences and may you carry him in your heart always. (There are not many old timers here in the forum anymore that might remember Jimbo. But just know that I'm sure those of us still participating remember him fondly. Take care of yourself. And thank you for posting this poem to honor his memory.)

[LisaLCFan]

...Thank you so much Lisa for your kind words. I am really glad to hear that my poem moved you.

Do you think that 'The Towering Man' would be a better name for it?
Would you make any other changes?...

I wouldn't change anything about it: you wrote it from your heart, and it reflected what you were thinking and feeling at that time -- it is a piece of your life, a heartfelt snapshot of what you were experiencing when you wrote those words, and thus I would leave it exactly as it is. I think that the original title is very poignant because your Dad was, at that time, a man in the chair, and yet, as one learns while reading the verses, he was also so much more than that, and I think that letting it unfold and ending the poem with the "The Towering Man" adds great emotional impact.

Perhaps, if you are so inclined, you could write a new poem called "The Towering Man" as a sort of sequel, or even prequel, to "My Man in the Chair", reflecting your current thoughts and feelings and memories of your Dad.

[Jimbos son]

Very touching words Jimbo, and thoughtfully arranged. I think I would have liked your father!

4

Thanks for the lovely message, 4.

[Jimbos son]

Wonderful words to honor your dad. I remember what fun we had interacting in the old newsgroup days of Cohen fans. Jimbo was a regular there and he had a great sense of humor. Sad to hear he struggled in his later years but not surprised to see he managed to get his fags out of you any way he could. That sounds like Jimbo. What a wonderful love you shared with him and he with you. Looks like you have a bit of the poet in you too. My condolences and may you carry him in your heart always. (There are not many old timers here in the forum anymore that might remember Jimbo. But just know that I'm sure those of us still participating remember him fondly. Take care of yourself. And thank you for posting this poem to honor his memory.)

Thank you so much for the kind words, Dar. I am glad that you like it and even more glad that you remember dad. Fun- he absolutely was! He did pass a bit of the poetry on alright, as he was always keen to help me with those when I was doing them in school. I am looking forward to digging up some more of his poems, I know that there was some good ones, bad ones, dark ones and some very insightful ones. I know that there is one that refers to the idea that I could have a brother out there somewhere and would be keen to follow that story up. Do you know any of the other old school members here, particularly anyone who may have met him?

[Jimbos son]

...Thank you so much Lisa for your kind words. I am really glad to hear that my poem moved you.

Do you think that 'The Towering Man' would be a better name for it?
Would you make any other changes?...

I wouldn't change anything about it: you wrote it from your heart, and it reflected what you were thinking and feeling at that time -- it is a piece of your life, a heartfelt snapshot of what you were experiencing when you wrote those words, and thus I would leave it exactly as it is. I think that the original title is very poignant because your Dad was, at that time, a man in the chair, and yet, as one learns while reading the verses, he was also so much more than that, and I think that letting it unfold and ending the poem with the "The Towering Man" adds great emotional impact.

Perhaps, if you are so inclined, you could write a new poem called "The Towering Man" as a sort of sequel, or even prequel, to "My Man in the Chair", reflecting your current thoughts and feelings and memories of your Dad.

Lisa , thank you so much again for those lovely comments. That's exactly what it was, so I won't be changing it
Thank you for the inspiration for 'The Towering Man', it might take some time but I won't let either of you down.

What part of Canada are you from? I assume you didn't interact with Jimbo at any stage?

[dar]

Wonderful words to honor your dad. I remember what fun we had interacting in the old newsgroup days of Cohen fans. Jimbo was a regular there and he had a great sense of humor. Sad to hear he struggled in his later years but not surprised to see he managed to get his fags out of you any way he could. That sounds like Jimbo. What a wonderful love you shared with him and he with you. Looks like you have a bit of the poet in you too. My condolences and may you carry him in your heart always. (There are not many old timers here in the forum anymore that might remember Jimbo. But just know that I'm sure those of us still participating remember him fondly. Take care of yourself. And thank you for posting this poem to honor his memory.)

Thank you so much for the kind words, Dar. I am glad that you like it and even more glad that you remember dad. Fun- he absolutely was! He did pass a bit of the poetry on alright, as he was always keen to help me with those when I was doing them in school. I am looking forward to digging up some more of his poems, I know that there was some good ones, bad ones, dark ones and some very insightful ones. I know that there is one that refers to the idea that I could have a brother out there somewhere and would be keen to follow that story up. Do you know any of the other old school members here, particularly anyone who may have met him?

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.music.leonard-cohen
I tried looking for posts from your dad in the old newsgroup. Maybe I'm not remembering well but I thought your dad posted in the newsgroup but maybe most of the interaction was in the old chat room back in the day. Not sure who is still active here in the forum from the old group. I think it's a nice effort that you're doing some research in memory of your dad and I'm sorry I can't help with that. I'm sure you'll make some progress but I think much of the old interactions are no longer available on line. Sorry.

[Cate]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, Jamie. I wasn't part of the newsgroup, but I did get to "meet" your dad on the forum, and I liked him very much. He was kind, funny, and occasionally silly in the best way. And of course, he was poetic. I especially loved his poems/haiku about nature.

Speaking of his kindness, here's a small example: he didn't believe me when I said I was a bad cook. He sent me a couple of very simple recipes that I couldn't mess up, and they turned out quite well, my favourite was a smoked salmon potato bake that tasted amazing but was very easy. It was something he didn't need to do and was very considerate. I'm guessing your family had a number of great meals together!

I love your poem, Jamie, and I think Lisa's response was perfect. I don't think you should change a thing; it's just right. I know these next few weeks and months will be hard, my thoughts and warm wishes are with you and your family.

[dar]

I did a bit of research and it looks like Jimbo was mostly active in the forum and perhaps he wasn't part of the earlier newsgroup gatherings? Either way, I know you will find a lot of info just by searching for your dad's posts here in the forum. My memory certainly isn't helping much but I am sure you will gather a lot of good material and poetry of your father's here as time goes on.

[Tony]

Hello Jimbo,

I thought you might like this song.’The Old Man’ by the Fureys.

Tony

https://youtu.be/H6C-Fphx9lE?feature=shared