Poem for Saturday and College Park Open House

Mother Rachel
By Rachel Barenblat

how long did you labor
contractions slamming you
against the rocks

Benjamin's first cry
your last breath
beneath the swelling moon

the hidden sages
call you Shekhinah
motherhood incarnate

your death, Her descent
into the long night
of exile

rest in your tomb
dry as a seedpod
watching from the road

the root of spring
you wait for redemption
to flower in us

--------

We spent nearly all day Friday at the University of Maryland, which was having an open house (well, an open campus) for admitted students yesterday and today. Many of Adam's friends were there, and though he has announced that he is sick of college visits, he agreed to go to the business school and entrepreneurship program presentations, since he's been admitted to both and has been offered a substantial scholarship. He would really like to go to college out of state, which I understand, but I've also been impressed with Daniel's programs and he has been very happy in College Park. After the meetings, we had a late lunch with Daniel, then went out for ice cream with one of Adam's friends at the campus dairy.


The undergraduate dean of the business school in a presentation photo...


...and pretending to box with the vice dean.


I had never been in Van Munchen Hall before, though I have been all over the campus hundreds of times.


We saw the familiar Testudo (one of several on campus) in the student union, where we had lunch in the food court...


...and drove past the farm, where there were a great many lambs!


From earlier in the week, here is younger son with his driver's license...


...and driving to Starbucks without me!

After we said farewell to Daniel and went home, I finished up a review of Deep Space Nine's excellent "Favor the Bold" (warning: I will be describing pretty much every DS9 episode from now till the end of the series as excellent) and went to see if the daffodils are open in the neighborhood yet (mostly not). We had dinner with my parents, watched some basketball (Michigan certainly tried to keep things interesting in the end; congratulations, UConn), then came home and Adam worked on scholarship applications for Michigan while we all watched a screener of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which was better than its reviews and had some very nice Icelandic scenery.