Times and the Man

To the left of the chapel fronting the registrar’s
I am warmly greeted by the bust of the late
school president, his head up in royal stance,
one that commanded, in his life, not necessarily
respect, but rather generosity of spirit
so that everyone in my community heard
“to serve Bikol and country” as a tall order,
as towering as the Four Pillars
beyond which much I have done.

 
Bronze perhaps, the bust’s broad shoulders
remind me of one prominent, imposing
civility, who considered diplomacy a byword,
exactness a crime, rapport a virtue,
the verities even I need now
that the man is long gone.

To Raul J. Bonoan, S.J. [1935-1999]