»
Archives
»
Open Poetry #17
»
A Librarian
| Open Poetry #17 |
|
A Librarian |
|
|
Glenn Logan Member
since 2001-10-10
Posts 111Virginia |
(For David Rabasca, 1945-2001, of the Law Library of Congress) It's hard for me to imagine him at any age other than the one at which he died - he seemed so comfortable with himself, so at ease with who he was, that his world - our world - seemed always at ease with him - at ease with this rare man whom no one disliked, and of whom so many of us were so very fond, whose ready smile and casual demeanor always seemed so effortless, even if he was complaining, as he often did in his resigned yet ironically humorous way, of the slights offered by ponderous pests in his law librarian's day. He had a wonderful decency and a calm reasonableness that showed, even when he was annoyed, no loss of grace, that displayed a wry wit that made our petty, work-a-day aggravations more easily recognizable as trivial, and left us almost always feeling a little better than we had been. So it is a little hard for me to imagine him at any less complete age - adult, intelligent, cultured, witty, patient, invariably polite, and almost completely uncluttered with any sign of offensive ego - a man who never seemed to be pushed, or need to be pushed - who knew what to do, with competence so full, yet so casually invoked, that it rarely seemed as extraordinary as perhaps it should. For me, it's hard to imagine him at any other age, though perhaps not for others - I imagine others can imagine the bright boy he must have been - can imagine, perhaps, the bright, spry, dignified old man he never lived to be. Yet I can imagine him in another age, as a craftsman - a careful, highly skilled craftsman - a carriage maker, a silver smith, or a book binder, perhaps, or even a gentle monk, copying ancient books, and adding drawings to the page, illuminating letters and words as he also did, in a different way, in the life he actually led. Yes, I can imagine him as a scribe to a Pharaoh in ancient Egypt, or an advisor to a German prince, a tutor to the sons or daughters of the most cultured burger in old Rotterdam, or a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse somewhere in the woods of Maine. He and Thoreau would have gotten along well together; Melville would found him an intelligent pal, and Ring Lardner would have appreciated his gentle humor - as we did - as we all did. Yes, he was so comfortable, so casual with himself that all his fellow workers liked him, but the man who always held his head, and usually held his tongue when all around him were loosening theirs, is dead, and I know I am not alone - am far from feeling alone - in feeling our loss. - Glenn Logan Nov. 27, 2001 Note: David Rabasca died unexpectedly at 56 the day after Thanksgiving of this year. |
||
| © Copyright 2001 Glenn Logan - All Rights Reserved | |||
|
Sudhir Iyer Member Ascendant
since 2000-04-26
Posts 6943Mumbai, India : now in Belgium |
A splendid write... thanks for sharing this part of you and your feelings about the loss... regards, sudhir |
||
|
Startime Member Ascendant
since 2000-10-03
Posts 5918Canada |
*sigh* I know not who he is but with my love of law libraries I found that I was caught up in the vision of this man you have woven. By your words I know that he was and is a great man with honest and sincere heart. My heart goes out to all who he touched during his brief life. Thank you, so much, for sharing this man with me through your words. **Hugs**  Love I leave with you whether it is in your life now or yet the essense of your dreams. |
||
|
Temptress
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-06-15
Posts 7136Mobile, AL |
I love the way this is written. I feel like I've known a person like this just by your wonderful descriptions here. enjoyed. Your storm of assumption feeds anger I am calm enough to hold inside. Don't pretend to know me if you've never put stretched out your heart with since |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
