Enga mellom fjella

Passing the pen

Passing the pen

         for Sarah and John

Here where the learner runs past the learned
and art becomes renewed in punctuated syllables,
we watch as prayers unfold
awaiting answers.

We want to stay,
to be touched by that final act,
that last oration; but,

this is enough:
to have been witness to one scene,
to have been invited,
with due discretion deemed
worthy
of one line.

Here where the redbud blooms
six months removed
and two thousand miles between
that then,
this now,

we watch the learner grasp the proferred pen,
run past the learned,
past us all.

© 2008 Kåre Enga [165.351] 2008-11-22

I read this to Sarah Gridley just after I wrote it. Fortunately, I've been able to edit a bit as I need to get a copy to John by 7 tonight.

Sarah mentioned how she was John's teacher at Case Western in Ohio and how it was great to see a student no longer need the teacher. She also had lines about redbud in one poem and mentioned that one she was reading was a prayer. somehow these disparate thoughts got woven in. In the final edit they may not still be there, but for now ...

ME:

I went to the game. I went to the New Lakes reading at the Dana Gallery. I spoke with the guest poets Brain Teare and Sarah Gridley. The UM faculty was in attendance. Oddly, I feel welcomed.

My 'zine is not done yet. I spent last night at The Break cutting and reading and wondering how to choose. I have too much. It needs to get done a.s.a.p. I also need to get a copy of "Passing the pen" to John Myer.

The sun is out full force and it would be so nice to just play hooky, but tasks need to get done today.

FOOTBALL:

Those of us who live in small places like Ogden, Greenville, Orangeburg, San Luis Obispo await the placement of our football teams in the FCS playoff system that begins on the 29th.

I have no insider information, but suspect Montana will get a #4 seed and host Texas State ... why? I dunno. Someone has to travel here and Texas State is as good a victim as any. The other two match-ups I'd like to see are South Carolina State versus Wofford as they are both in South Carolina and Weber State at Cal-Poly in San Luis Obispo. Eastern Kentucky visiting Southern Illinois makes some sense too ... but where to put Villanova, Richmond and New Hampshire?

So ... Montana won over Montana State 35-3. The Griz came out f l a t ; but with a couple big plays on defense managed to get ahead and then on the last drive showed why they were the better team. (Then we all watched the big screen as Eastern Washington beat off a comeback by Weber State and won 33-26, giving UM a share of the Big Sky championship for the 11th straight year.)

Marianni, one of Griz stars, hobbled off the field at one point, giving everyone pause. Injuries are devastating at this time in the season. MSU came in fairly banged up.

This was the 108th meeting going back to the late 1890s. The Griz surprised everyone by coming out in retro copper and gold uniforms (last seen in 1995 when they won the national championship). As someone commented: they're ugly ... But who cares. It cheered up the crowd; it worked.

The record attendance was 25,629 [another reason why Montana gets home playoff games].

Montana: 40º at 12:48. Sunny.

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