{"id":2774,"date":"2018-10-12T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2018-10-12T04:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=2774"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:45:13","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:45:13","slug":"oct-12-denise-levertov-prayer-for-revolutionary-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2018\/10\/12\/oct-12-denise-levertov-prayer-for-revolutionary-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Oct 12 – Denise Levertov “Prayer for Revolutionary Love”"},"content":{"rendered":"

rape & revolutionary love<\/strong>
\nPosted on\u00a0October 23, 2013<\/a>\u00a0by<\/p>\n

Friday, October 12 \u00a0\u201cThat we endure absence, if need be,
\nwithout losing our love for each other.
\nwithout closing our doors to the unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n

A recent grad called me last night \u00a0(i.e., Oct 23, 2013 less than one month since the poetry list\u2019s 1st Post ever) \u00a0to talk about a close women friend who had called him a few days before after she was raped by someone she knew. She was the second close friend to open her experience of savage violence — in the world of promising and talented and generous young adults. The first had been his little sister two years before. We talked a while about powerlessness and violence, rage and shame. About grief.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the invitation by Lori Glenn, faculty \u00a0host for an evening about domestic violence that year. \u00a0 \u201cPlease join us for to learn more about dating violence and healthy relationships. We will start with a presentation in Chemistry 114 at 5:30pm. Food will be served. At approximately 7:00pm we will convene in the Kassab Mall to honor victims of all types of domestic violence with a Candlelight Vigil. \u00a0Please come! \u00a0 Bring a friend! \u00a0 Better yet\u2026bring a date!\u201d<\/p>\n

Convening this domestic violence education program years ago can remind our university community that education about attacks on women is not new, not at all. \u00a0Neither, though, is the timeless power of great poetry. \u00a0 I have loved Denise Levertov\u2019s poems for many years before beginning the poetry list 613 posts ago \u00a0(n.b. to browse all Denise Levertov poems in the archive blog go to\u00a0https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry<\/a>\u00a0& search on \u201cLevertov\u201d). \u00a0Years ago also, \u201cRevolutionary Love,\u201d became my most deeply loved poem about love between two people. \u00a0It still is. \u00a0Her strong, wise language can anoint this season of intense conflict about interpersonal sexual violence.<\/p>\n

Best to read the poem out loud, with pauses.<\/p>\n

Have a blest weekend.<\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

p.s. On this date in 1980 I sat with, and sometimes held, my father the night he lay dying of pancreatic cancer. \u00a0 We told each other important things that long night that anoint this date for me year after year. \u00a0 Two months later I drove a U-Haul from Philly to Motown to begin my faculty contract at what was then\u00a0\u201cU of D.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post –\u00a0\u201cPrayer for Revolutionary Love”<\/strong><\/p>\n

That a woman not ask a man to leave meaningful work to follow her
\nThat a man not ask a woman to leave meaningful work to follow him.<\/p>\n

That no one try to put Eros in bondage
\nBut that no one put a cudgel in the hands of Eros.
\nThat our loyalty to one another and our loyalty to our work
\nnot be set in false conflict.<\/p>\n

That our love for each other give us love for each other\u2019s work
\nThat our love for each other\u2019s work give us love for one another.
\nThat our love for each other\u2019s work give us love for one another.
\nThat our love for each other give us love for each other\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

That our love for each other, if need be,
\ngive way to absence. And the unknown.
\nThat we endure absence, if need be,
\nwithout losing our love for each other.
\nWithout closing our doors to the unknown.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Denise Levertov
\nb. October 1923 \u00a0d. December 1997
\nhttps:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denise_Levertov<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

rape & revolutionary love Posted on\u00a0October 23, 2013\u00a0by Friday, October 12 \u00a0\u201cThat we endure absence, if need be, without losing our love for each other. without closing our doors to the unknown.\u201d A recent grad called me last night \u00a0(i.e., … 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\/2774"}],"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=2774"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3106,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2774\/revisions\/3106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}