FULCRUM

(for Ray on his retirement from teaching)
You offered us a place to stand in the world.
Something many of us had not considered before,
Sitting on the roof of your house in the woods,
Scratchy turntable needle playing,
The Amazing Rhythm Aces,
Third Rate Romance,
Talking about Art,
Nurturing purpose in all of us.
There are more to things,
Than just what you see or think you know.
Kant, Strindberg, the Greeks, Theosophy,
Money, Sex and Power,
Art’s potency for igniting change.
The Celtics and Michael,
The Sox.
Big Chinese dinners filled with laughter.
Late nights in rehearsal,
Before a line had been spoken,
Talking for hours,
Have you ever howled at the moon?
Jesus when are we going to freakin’ start?
You were the match,
The fulcrum for moving us into our lives,
Go find out what’s possible,
Work hard,
Question everything.
Expect things from yourself,
That you cannot possibly imagine right now,
This is what it means to be alive.
Everything you are,
You,
Standing here,
Right now,
Is a gift.
Put it to good use.