By Hans Morsink
I saw you and your
Friends cut down
In the bloom of your
Lives at our Center
Ever so faithful
Guarded us in our
Learning and Loving
With a cup or a pint
We shared your desire
For stature and now —
With you gone — we
Too are diminished
At the Center you stood
Along the road that was
Crooked but now shall
Be made straight
Not by Jesus but by
Machines that men
Make and want to use
Be it necessary or not
I mourn you and promise
To think of you whenever
I hear the buzzing of saws
Or the chirping of birds
Hans is a Professor of Political Philosophy, Emeritus
Graphic by Caroline Polich.