There’s only so much a man can affect,
the cut of a board, a wayward child,
perhaps so grand as the outline of a city
but whatever he does if it is to bear his mark
must be done with care, with thoughtfulness
and the quiet expression
from the slow spring flowing of his love.
Over the years the land will heal,
the river run clear of all it’s been asked to carry
and the stone that bears his name
fade into weathered glyphs beyond remembrance
but the mark of his love, firm as the slender pencil
and born with the lightness of paper
will be left in the earth, and the earth itself will be glad.
Bing Sheldon
Architect and Civic Leader
1934-2016
Beautiful, Don! Very moving.
I love the direction your poetry is going…
It’s good to find hope-even if it arrives, I suppose, long after we are gone.
A fine tribute, Don. Yes, only love lasts!
Once he was here. Beautiful poem. Would love to have known him.
Aho! I stand alongside you in the honoring.
What a lovely tribute, Don!
A gentle, moving tribute honoring someone who has left his touch upon the earth. Just as you do Don❤️
One of my all time favorites, Donald. Can really relate to the emotion
I had never heard of Bing. But I know a little big part of his story now.
Thanks, Don.
Left breathless by this glorious tribute to a man I’ll never know…
Don:
Amazingly beautiful words…didn’t realize until I was done, when I scrolled down the page, that it was directed at a friend….really poignant!
Bill
… slow spring flowing …
Fortunate we are to have a friend who can put into words the important stuff. Equally fortunate to have a friendship worth the effort.
As we all get older…..
A nice tribute to Bing. Worked with Bing for my first two years in Portland when the Landscape Architecture office of Warner, Walker Macy shared an office with SES, now SERA. Worked on SERA projects over the years and Bing was always a class act. Just like Greg Baldwin at ZGF, both made a huge contribution to the built environment in Portland that most are unaware of.
This is a beautiful tribute to an obviously very fine man. Inclusion of his photo adds richness to your expression of his spirit.