{"id":2338,"date":"2017-05-31T16:11:20","date_gmt":"2017-05-31T20:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=2338"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:47:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:47:00","slug":"celebrating-detroits-process-of-rebirth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2017\/05\/31\/celebrating-detroits-process-of-rebirth\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Detroit’s process of rebirth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, May 31<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t begun to look for a poem this morning for today\u2019s post, technically at least, the final post before Work Day\/Hard Time\u2019s summer break (back again August 1). \u00a0I was only browsing\u00a0Crain\u2019s Detroit Business<\/u>\u00a0before turning to a poem. \u00a0 This Crain\u2019s piece caught my eye and, distracted from a poem search, I read an article with this headline:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cOrchestras conference to return to Detroit after 31 years<\/strong>.\u201d \u00a0For this 35+ year Detroit homey, the piece is delicious. \u00a0It does not ignore my city\u2019s wounds and the slow process of rebirth in more and more places within our 140 square miles. \u00a0For me, rebirth articles turn my head, often. \u00a0Like yesterday\u2019s news that The Ford Foundation just announced that it will be opening an office in the City, a follow up on its startling $125M investment in our bankruptcy\u2019s \u201cGrand Bargain.\u201d \u00a0Homeys here know that although Henry and his son Edsel founded the Ford Foundation in 1936, a fight with Henry the Deuce c. 1955 shut down the Foundation\u2019s presence in Southeast Michigan until, c. 2 years ago. \u00a0Then, they backed our Architecture School\u2019s process for a fifty year Detroit Future City plan. \u00a0From that start several years ago, and the Foundation\u2019s lead role in the Grand Bargain, comes yesterday\u2019s news about an office in the city (http:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/detroit-city\/2017\/05\/30\/ford-foundation-office\/102332510\/<\/a>). \u00a0Homey\u2019s delight.<\/p>\n

Even so, today\u2019s piece about the Orchestras Conference coming to Motown to talk about the DSO\u2019s pretty amazing rebirth, turns my head today. \u00a0 I remember my first time at Orchestra Hall, c. 1982. The Hall\u2019s rescue from the wrecking ball was just \u201cin progress.\u201d That evening, I learned during my first live performance there, why it is counted one of the acoustical wonders of the country. \u00a0Today, Orchestra Hall lives at the center of some billions of investment dollars all around it. \u00a0 Next week, the DSP will\u00a0\u00a0host c. 1000 orchestra people, coming to talk about how this rebirth came to be (http:\/\/www.crainsdetroit.com\/article\/20170525\/news\/629531\/orchestras-conference-return-detroit-after-31-years#utm_medium=email&utm_source=cdb-afternoon&utm_campaign=cdb-afternoon-20170526<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019m a little giddy. \u00a0That\u2019s partly because my week on Pine Ridge leaves me alive with beauty and a history of kinship there. \u00a0Maybe partly too because I was looking for a good send-off to the list before summer break. \u00a0I hope you check out both Crain\u2019s articles.<\/p>\n

Let me conclude, though, with a wonderful poem written by Rashani Rea. \u00a0The poet\u2019s evocation of rebirth, was not explicitly written for Detroit, but . . . . \u00a0\u00a0Best to read the poem out loud, with pauses.<\/p>\n

See you c. August 1. \u00a0 Have a blest summer, our beauty and turmoil and all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post: \u00a0\u201cThe Unbroken\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a brokenness
\nout of which comes the unbroken,
\na shatteredness
\nout of which blooms the unshatterable.<\/p>\n

There is a sorrow
\nbeyond all grief which leads to joy
\nand a fragility
\nout of whose depths emerges strength.<\/p>\n

There is a hollow space
\ntoo vast for words
\nthrough which we pass with each loss,
\nout of whose darkness
\nwe are sanctioned into being.<\/p>\n

There is a cry deeper than all sound
\nwhose serrated edges cut the heart
\nas we break open to the place inside
\nwhich is unbreakable and whole,
\nwhile learning to sing.<\/p>\n

~\u00a0Rashani R\u00e9a<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Wednesday, May 31 I hadn\u2019t begun to look for a poem this morning for today\u2019s post, technically at least, the final post before Work Day\/Hard Time\u2019s summer break (back again August 1). \u00a0I was only browsing\u00a0Crain\u2019s Detroit Business\u00a0before turning to … 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\/2338"}],"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=2338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2340,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338\/revisions\/2340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}