The Treasures

Poem written to mark the closure of the California College of Arts and Crafts’ Oakland Campus on its one hundredth anniversary. In memory of Sue Ciriclio, Sandra Vivanco, Michael McClure, Denali Schmidt, and Kari Marboe.

The heartbroken voice of the old bell

raises the ghosts from these now silent corners

for one instant that will vanish

As quickly as a century slips from the edge of the universe

If we close our eyes we’ll feel their presence

for one last time:

the ghosts of the living and the dead

gathering under the trees in loud and small groups

five and fifty years and eighty years ago

surrounded by a fog of laughter and cigarette smoke

protected by the light of a perfect

Oakland afternoon

If we listen we might convince ourselves

that we can still hear the poet’s song

the restless cacophony of the loom

the click of the camera shutter and

the swift caress of the charcoal stick on the surface of the paper

Once we were young and fell in love

with the past and its goddesses and prophets

Once we were young and carried in our hearts

the belief that a home is a place with strong roots

that nothing can destroy

Now we listen to the tolling bell and wonder

how many times should it be rung for the one hundred years

of lessons taught and learned

One hundred years of life intensely lived with others

Now we take across a bridge

to the land of golden promise

the bell and the hope

the indelible Crafts and all the treasures

work and time gave us

to keep safe within ourselves

the home we can’t afford to lose

Poem delivered September 24, 2022