NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
Apr. 2, 2012
Dear members of the Marquette community,
Almost without fail, March in all its “madness” finds much of the Marquette community experiencing great thrills, hopes, heartache, dreams, and passions.
Through a grace of scheduling, April delivers more of the same, albeit in a very different format. April is National Poetry Month. In addition to putting us in touch with deep emotions and insights — and making us feel more alive — great poetry invites us to reflect and see our lives in new ways. As St. Robert Southwell wrote, poetry provides an opportunity for “giving sobrest countenance leave some time to smile, and gravest wits to take a breathing flight.” In other words, it’s one of life’s pleasures — a gift to our spirits.
So please join me and other fans of poetry at Marquette in celebrating poetry this month. All are invited to an April 16 event at the Raynor Memorial Libraries, where talented poets on our faculty will read their poems. And watch for the sharing of favorite verses on banners in the Alumni Memorial Union and the Raynor Bridge, as well as on Marquette’s social media channels. While you’re at it, share a few best-loved poems yourself.
To get things started, I am sharing a favorite of mine just below.
Happy reading,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
Marquette University
Mysteries, Yes
By Mary Oliver
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
Office of
the President
Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., to serve as interim president
The Board of Trustees has chosen Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., to lead Marquette University as interim president. Wild, who served as president of Marquette from 1996 to 2011, will take over for Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., who announced on Sept. 20, that after 10 years as a university president at Marquette University and the University of Scranton, he was resigning to pursue other apostolic opportunities.
Father Pilarz will assist Father Wild with the transition, while traveling back and forth to the East coast to care for his ailing father, which he noted in a letter to the Marquette community on Sept. 25. Father Wild is concluding his duties with the Wisconsin Province and will take over as interim president on Oct. 16.
Wild will serve as interim president until August 2014. A new permanent president is expected to be in place for the 2014-15 academic year.
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