{"id":2084,"date":"2016-11-11T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2016-11-11T05:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=2084"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:47:31","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:47:31","slug":"nov-11-veterans-day-and-leonard-cohens-passing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2016\/11\/11\/nov-11-veterans-day-and-leonard-cohens-passing\/","title":{"rendered":"Nov 11 – Veteran’s Day and Leonard Cohen’s passing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday, \u00a0November 11, 2016 \u00a0\u201cThere is a crack in everything
\nThat\u2019s how the light gets in.”<\/p>\n

Last Monday, the day before the election of Donald Trump, Leonard Cohen died. \u00a0I am not alone getting the news later (i.e., this morning on NPR). \u00a0I was beginning my morning contemplation, taught by St. Ignatius, of attending to my “inner disturbances.” \u00a0 What wants my inner attention in this place and moment? \u00a0 Today, Veterans day and Leonard Cohen\u2019s passing are looking for attention. \u00a0Amy, a list reader, sent me this email at 5:35 a.m.; like me, she thought LC died last night but media searching tells me that he died November 7.<\/p>\n

********<\/p>\n

“Dear John,<\/p>\n

I’m not sure if you know Canadian poet\/singer\/songwriter Leonard Cohen. He just passed last night. His deep, dark poems\/lyrics have always struck a chord with me. Here’s a link to him performing one of my favorites. Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack, a crack in everything, That’s how the light gets in.\u201d<\/p>\n

********<\/p>\n

When Cohen wrote \u201cAnthem,\u201d \u00a0did he foresee the acute inner disturbances in the wide world of 2016 that may make his hymn so apt this week? \u00a0No matter: \u00a0\u201cAnthem\u201d works for today\u2019s post. \u00a0Best to read the poem out loud with pauses. {“Attention should be paid to some more important places in which I have experienced understanding, consolation, or desolation.” (Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises \u00a0# 118)} \u00a0 Perhaps better to listen to L Cohen perform it in London, 2008 (below).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

p.s.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A\u00a0shout out to Detroit Mercy graduate, \u00a0Leonard Cohen fan and \u00a0U.S. Air Force Veteran Sarah Shaffer, Peer Counselor, Veterans with PTSD, San Francisco.<\/p>\n

p.p.s.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Try to allow the weekend to bless you and the people with whom you share time and place.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post, \u00a0\u201cAnthem\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The birds they sang
\nat the break of day
\nStart again
\nI heard them say
\nDon’t dwell on what
\nhas passed away
\nor what is yet to be.
\nAh the wars they will
\nbe fought again
\nThe holy dove
\nShe will be caught again
\nbought and sold
\nand bought again
\nthe dove is never free.
\nRing the bells that still can ring
\nForget your perfect offering
\nThere is a crack in everything
\nThat’s how the light gets in.
\nWe asked for signs
\nthe signs were sent:
\nthe birth betrayed
\nthe marriage spent
\nYeah the widowhood
\nof every government —
\nsigns for all to see.
\nI can’t run no more
\nwith that lawless crowd
\nwhile the killers in high places
\nsay their prayers out loud.
\nBut they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up
\na thundercloud
\nand they’re going to hear from me.
\nRing the bells that still can ring …
\nYou can add up the parts
\nbut you won’t have the sum
\nYou can strike up the march,
\nthere is no drum
\nEvery heart, every heart
\nto love will come
\nbut like a refugee.
\nRing the bells that still can ring
\nForget your perfect offering
\nThere is a crack, a crack in everything
\nThat’s how the light gets in.
\nRing the bells that still can ring
\nForget your perfect offering
\nThere is a crack, a crack in everything
\nThat’s how the light gets in.
\nThat’s how the light gets in.
\nThat’s how the light gets in.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6wRYjtvIYK0<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"leonard-cohen\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friday, \u00a0November 11, 2016 \u00a0\u201cThere is a crack in everything That\u2019s how the light gets in.” Last Monday, the day before the election of Donald Trump, Leonard Cohen died. \u00a0I am not alone getting the news later (i.e., this morning … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2084"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2087,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084\/revisions\/2087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}