POD

Episode 604

August 29, 2020

Last week my dear friend Patrick Owen Doyle died.

Since high school, fifty years ago, he was always there to listen, talk and understand.

 

What follows are two tributes.

The first tribute is a poem written about Pat in 2003 for his 50th birthday.

pod

the inventor,
a recombinator
whose vision sees simple,
“all the technology exists,”
t.s. eliot said.
there is nothing that is new,
only what is, in a new group
next year.

an engineer,
precision assembler,
everything dependent
on what was before and after,
like cascading dominos,
once begun cannot stop.
if one bit is out of sequence
it fails.

deeply moody
intractable spirit,
phase shifted perception
reflected by the sparkling eyes.
a pouring out of restraint,
a pillar of support,
steady as foregone conclusion
is there.

calculator,
master of summation.
without thought is thinking
unknown variables
of moon phase calculations,
of subtle averages,
formulae which yield unthought of
totals.

underminer,
unnerving brain teaser.
the game is like cat’s mouse,
trapping reality in time,
chasing imagination
held by the liar’s tale
pouncing on misunderstanding,
we’re caught.

you are the sleuth,
ultimate observer.
all in your view is seen,
recorded like inspector’s pad.
the designs around you known,
gifted security
you are trusted, a confessor,
a friend.

rickiT 6/3/3

 

i wrote the following tribute to Pat this year.

Rest in peace friend.
i miss you.

9 Comments

  1. Randy Juhl August 28, 2020
  2. Sandy Levine August 28, 2020
  3. Elaine Socol August 28, 2020
  4. Don Taco August 28, 2020
  5. Tim Kay August 29, 2020
  6. Vic Spindler August 29, 2020
  7. Sharon Bonin-Pratt (Shari) September 2, 2020
  8. Tina-Marie Bayer September 4, 2020
  9. Chela Cowden September 17, 2020

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