The Larger Picture
At Oxford Artie took a First, then went
To teach in Kenya. There he sat out on
His little porch and taught us what is meant
By dedication. His unruly lawn
Was near the Great Rift Valley as he stretched
Young minds in mathematics. One to one
He tutored after lessons. As he etched
On minds, we learned humility. When done
He did ingenious crosswords, read my verse
And praised it—bedded a beautiful blonde
In my department. And then…nothing worse
Could possibly have happened. God’s own wand
Struck Artie—Wham!—with cancer of the brain.
In my mind now God’s name’s a nasty stain.