{"id":2146,"date":"2008-09-05T21:04:06","date_gmt":"2008-09-06T01:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/?p=2146"},"modified":"2008-09-06T00:49:43","modified_gmt":"2008-09-06T04:49:43","slug":"poem-in-memory-bob-detweiler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/2008\/09\/poem-in-memory-bob-detweiler\/","title":{"rendered":"A Poem in Memory of Bob Detweiler"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ILA<\/a> (Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory University) has offered to honor Bob Detweiler by permanently naming one of their seminar rooms after him. Donations may be sent to:<\/p>\n

Emory University<\/a>
\nIn memory of Dr. Robert Detweiler
\nAttn:
\nJeffrey Prince<\/a>
\nSenior Director of Development and Alumni Relations for Emory College
\nArts & Sciences Development
\n825 Houston Mill Road, Ste. 102
\njprince @ emory.edu
\n404-727-4494 (Office)
\n404-217-2778 (Cell)
\n404-727-1805 (Fax)\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Emory Report<\/a> will also have an article on Bob in the coming week’s issue.<\/p>\n

I’ll be delivering the poem below at the memorial service in the morning. When I’ve had more time to process all of this a little more I hope to write another, but I hope that this will serve the purposes of the occasion. <\/p>\n

Nexus<\/strong> <\/p>\n

In Memory of Bob Detweiler<\/em><\/p>\n

\nWe gathered here today as one
\nMake an unlikely flock,
\nSo here is just a simple rhyme
\nTo honor our good doc.<\/p>\n

A teacher he, who greeted us,
\nAnd beckoned from the door,
\nAnd for each question that was asked
\nPresented us four more.<\/p>\n

Some Jupiter in him – and Pan –
\nA touch of Socrates,
\nSt. Nikolas for splintered ones
\nTo put each mind at ease.<\/p>\n

Grandfather to my Adelheid,
\nThe alpine horn he blew.
\n(He had some running joke – I think –
\nWith every friend he knew).<\/p>\n

Imagination disciplined
\nIs what he taught us best –
\nTo wrestle with the text unique
\nTo BE THERE was the rest –<\/p>\n

And maybe most in stories full
\nOf shaming, war and pain,
\nThe book shows more than it can know –
\nComplexity constrained.<\/p>\n

To find – in flesh becoming word –
\nA testimony true,
\nBehind the fiction, structures live
\nTransforming me and you.<\/p>\n

When each of us recalls that sense
\nAt other vineyards found,
\nWe fire – like the synapse jumps –
\nNew paths and meanings ground.<\/p>\n

Extraordinary gift it is
\nWhen such a man as this
\nCombines the voices that he knows
\nAs nexus of the mix.<\/p>\n

For bare survival’s not enough
\nThere should be celebration,
\nAnd dignity – respect and grace –
\nAn artful life – affection.<\/p>\n

Good company he was to us
\nTo read – religiously,
\nWhere it was safe to share our souls –
\nWrite better ways to be.<\/p>\n

No heart have I for coiled abyss –
\nNo crafted emptiness
\nWrapped up in ghostly metaphors
\n – And echoes of the rest.<\/p>\n

If like the birds now – each to each –
\nWe cry so differently,
\nWe still take comfort – back and forth –
\nthrough our sweet liturgies.<\/p>\n

Your work is done (… say “Hi” to Donne).
\nI miss your twinkly eye.
\nI thank you for the chance to talk …
\nGood-bye – dear friend, good-bye.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ILA (Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory University) has offered to honor Bob Detweiler by permanently naming one of their seminar rooms after him. Donations may be sent to: Emory University In memory of Dr. Robert Detweiler Attn: Jeffrey Prince Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations for Emory College Arts & Sciences Development 825 Houston Mill Road, Ste. 102 jprince @ emory.edu 404-727-4494 (Office) 404-217-2778 (Cell) 404-727-1805 (Fax) The Emory Report will also have an article…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,34,11,15,33,6],"tags":[5108,5106,2881,5118,5123,5124,5121,2015,340,5120,5122,5119],"class_list":["post-2146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academia","category-atlanta","category-creative","category-mommy-stuff","category-language","category-personal","tag-bob-detweiler","tag-emory-university","tag-friend","tag-in-memory","tag-jupiter","tag-nexus","tag-pan","tag-poem","tag-robert-detweiler","tag-socrates","tag-st-nicolas","tag-teacher"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2146"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2163,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146\/revisions\/2163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}