Month: January 2015

Although our lives bisected segments of present
and an oblique angle of past
I didn’t know Robert well.
Only the basic stats
mathematics student – well above average
keen cyclist
head boy at high school
a steady girlfriend when young men were promiscuous
or wanting to be.
Claire was her name
they were
about the future.

Life after study.
I hadn’t seen him for a year
we were both at the same cycle shop
both buying parts
me for repairs
he for a trip to the United States.

Six weeks in the Austral winter
pedalling the Pacific Northwest
envy expressed itself
my last chance he said
said opportunity would cease after this.
Presumption asked when was the wedding
No. Not getting married
going to seminary
to study for the priesthood.

The Internet destroyed mystery
and debate
who was the greatest ballplayer
Ty Cobb
Babe Ruth
Joe DiMaggio?
IPhone + Google + stats = unarguable answer
in seconds.
Backup crew for Apollo 11
scroll…. 3 names
the drummed out drummer
dumped from The Beatles for Ringo
screen flash : Pete Best
obviously not.
And for teachers
homework
that required thought and deduction.

It was a gifted class
top stream
high school mathematics
take home problems
to extend
to challenge.
A priori
impossible to solve with present knowledge.

One pupil does
always
irrespective of difficulty.
His father helps candour admits
as the year progresses
and difficulty
a solution, the correct one, returns each morning.
One day very impressed
she asks is your father a computer program or engineer?
“No Miss, he’s a butcher
he just really likes mathematics.”

It is almost inevitable
finding out about people’s lives
at the time of death.
Funeral obituary and tributes
make three-dimensional
cut-outs of acquaintances and relatives by marriage.

David
married to Dad’s sister
living in another part of the country
circumstances never permitted shared holidays
or Christmas at the farm
fleeting overlap at the bus stop of family convocation
christenings
weddings
and funerals. Hatches, matches and dispatches.

A working man
his life spent shaping metal to the will of gas and torch
blue sword of flame
spark scattered fragments
masculine
manual
predictable.

At the Requiem all the children spoke tributes
of kindness, patience, gentleness, tolerance
the most humorous from the youngest
“thank you for always coming to get me
and thank you
for not telling Mum what time you got me.”
The most poignant from the oldest
a story learned in the week before death.

45 years before
at the kitchen table of where she was living
he assembled his proposal
confident all potential objections were covered
when he asked her to be his wife
she replied time was needed to think – a few weeks
when questioned she answered
“it’s a big decision.”
He put out his cigarette
and said she was right. She should take time.