\n<\/strong>Keeping Quiet
\nby Pablo Neruda<\/p>\n
Now we will count to twelve
\nand we will all keep still.<\/p>\n
For once on the face of the earth,
\nlet’s not speak in any language;
\nlet’s stop for one second,
\nand not move our arms so much.<\/p>\n
It would be an exotic moment
\nwithout rush, without engines;
\nwe would all be together
\nin a sudden strangeness.<\/p>\n
Fishermen in the cold sea
\nwould not harm whales
\nand the man gathering salt
\nwould look at his hurt hands.<\/p>\n
Those who prepare green wars,
\nwars with gas, wars with fire,
\nvictories with no survivors,
\nwould put on clean clothes
\nand walk about with their brothers
\nin the shade, doing nothing.<\/p>\n
What I want should not be confused
\nwith total inactivity.
\nLife is what it is about;
\nI want no truck with death.<\/p>\n
If we were not so single-minded
\nabout keeping our lives moving,
\nand for once could do nothing,
\nperhaps a huge silence
\nmight interrupt this sadness
\nof never understanding ourselves,
\nand of threatening ourselves with death.
\nPerhaps the earth can teach us
\nas when everything seems dead
\nand later proves to be alive.<\/p>\n
Now I’ll count up to twelve
\nand you keep quiet and I will go.<\/p>\n
~ Pablo Neruda
\nTranslation from Spanish<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
p.s.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mission Micro Grant (MMG): Year 7<\/u>: \u00a0<\/strong>Yesterday 20 women and men came together in the Jesuit Residence about 3:00 and listened to each other’s stories about micro grants created in the past year. \u00a0 Dr. Rosemary Weatherston suggested the MMG idea at a faculty gathering in 2010 and now she directs the program \u00a0(i.e., tiny grants ($50\u2014>$250) for proposals \u00a0that connect an applicant\u2019s job and work place, with some aspect of UDM\u2019s Mission and Identity). \u00a0 The process of writing a proposal for so small an amount, and the simplicity of the writing and evaluating processes, works to stimulate remarkable creativity \u2014 ordinarily compassionate and playful. \u00a0Many proposals come from teams; nearly all generate lots of talk at the work place level.<\/p>\n My favorite single proposal asked for $95.00 to outfit 4 pedicure kits used by nursing students as part of course requirements when they served stints in a homeless women’s shelter. \u00a0Students learned how to give pedicures to homeless women. \u00a0The grant was awarded in MMG\u2019s year 1 2008, long before Pope Francis made washing the feet of men and women in an Italian prison an world-wide icon. \u00a0It fits UDM\u2019s self understanding pretty well.<\/p>\n (http:\/\/www.udmercy.edu\/mission\/microgrant\/index.htm<\/a>)<\/p>\n Pope Francis with prisoners – <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Friday, September 11 \u00a0– bending toward the weekend This early in the academic year, hustle scrambling seems everywhere. \u00a0Solid working relationships that build around a semester\u2019s new slate of courses take time to work out, let alone become a steady … Continue reading ![\"PopeFrancisHolyThurs\"](\"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/170\/2015\/09\/PopeFrancisHolyThurs.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nwashing of feet, Holy Thursday 2011<\/p>\n