Tuesday December 3<\/p>\n
From today’s Crain’s Michigan Morning<\/strong><\/p>\n “Detroit\u00a0officials will learn today whether Michigan’s largest city can stay in bankruptcy, allowing a federal judge to referee all of its battles with creditors owed about $18 billion. \u00a0U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes in Detroit said last week he would decide at a hearing today on the city’s request to remain under court protection. Without it, Detroit may be forced to defend a wave of lawsuits in multiple courts over the gap between the city’s revenue and the amount it owes.”<\/p>\n Moments like this — high-stakes uncertainty for women and men who call the city their home or our students bearing down to bring their A game to final exams and projects –sometimes open our eyes to our small selves and our vulnerability.<\/p>\n Denise Levertov’s \u00a0“Poem Rising By its Own Weight” builds on the metaphor of a different sort of high stakes, a tight rope walker who also does daring escapes, like Houdini. \u00a0Tenderness surprises in the end.<\/p>\n Have a blest day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n john sj<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Poem Rising By Its Own Weight<\/strong><\/p>\n The poet is at the disposal of his own night.<\/p>\n Jean Cocteau<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The singing robes fly onto your body and cling there silkily,<\/p>\n You step out on the rope and move unfalteringly across it,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And seize the fiery knives unscathed and<\/p>\n Keep them spinning above you, a fountain<\/p>\n Of rhythmic rising, falling, rising<\/p>\n Flames,<\/p>\n And proudly let the chains<\/p>\n Be wound about you, ready<\/p>\n To shed them, link by steel link,<\/p>\n padlock by padlock–<\/p>\n but when your graceful<\/p>\n confident shrug and twist drives the metal<\/p>\n into your flesh and the python grip of it tightens<\/p>\n and you see rust on the chains and blood in your pores<\/p>\n and you roll<\/p>\n over and down a steepness into a dark hole<\/p>\n and there is not even the sound of mockery in the distant air<\/p>\n somewhere above you where the sky was,<\/p>\n no sound but your own breath panting:<\/p>\n then it is that the miracle<\/p>\n walks in, on his swift feet,<\/p>\n down the precipice straight into the cave,<\/p>\n opens the locks,<\/p>\n knots of chain fall open,<\/p>\n twists of chain unwind themselves,<\/p>\n links fall asunder,<\/p>\n in seconds there is a heap of scrap-<\/p>\n metal at your ankles, you step free and at once<\/p>\n he turns to go —<\/p>\n but as you catch at him with a cry,<\/p>\n clasping his knees, sobbing your gratitude,<\/p>\n with what radiant joy he turns to you,<\/p>\n and raises you to your feet,<\/p>\n and strokes your disheveled hair,<\/p>\n and holds you,<\/p>\n holds you,<\/p>\n holds you<\/p>\n close and tenderly before he vanishes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Denise Levertov in The Freeing of the Dust<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tuesday December 3 From today’s Crain’s Michigan Morning “Detroit\u00a0officials will learn today whether Michigan’s largest city can stay in bankruptcy, allowing a federal judge to referee all of its battles with creditors owed about $18 billion. \u00a0U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven … Continue reading