RICK

Through the Window of Science
We See the Lawn of the
Age of Enlightenmnent

When these lovely spring days start to dawn
He smells that sweet air and he’s gone

His noble heart soars
In the great out-of-doors —

He’s the Master of Natural Lawn

He keeps the tank topped off with gas
To let no opportunity pass

Day after day
Through the summer he’ll say,

“I can’t wait to go cut the grass!”

In that great virgin forest — his yard
Rick has worked harder than hard

He’s snipped and he’s clipped
And he’s tripped and he’s dripped —
He’s bagged and he’s dragged
And he’s lagged and he’s sagged —
He’s mowed and he’s mowed
And he’s mowed and he’s mowed

He’s put in the hours there, pard

He’s measured each vector, each force
Computed each possible course

But whatever the route,
By the time he gets out

It’s an hour to finish his chores

His name’s universally known
Wherever his crabgrass has grown

From the spring through the fall
Rick’s walking tall —

He’s the mower, the mowing, the mown

Established in universality
And having achieved immortality

He takes to his sod
Like a practical god —

Rick is a Mower of Reality

But could he have somehow grown tired?
Or somehow become de-inspired?

We all grew concerned
When last year we learned

That the mowing of lawn had been hired

He’s building a brick patio
A useful addition, we know

But we dare not inquire
About a deeper desire

For fear it’s less yardage to mow

This trend has created some doubt —
What else has our friend hired out?

Flossing? Shampooing?
Asanas? What’s doing?

And how can we turn it about?

So remind him of all that he’s said,
Of the glorious life that he’s led

The main thing required
Is keep him inspired —

There’s a glorious summer ahead

§ § §

Rick’s been exploring the brain —
What mysteries does it contain?

Increased coherence,
Decreased interference —

These secrets he seeks to explain

Rick Weller himself is a brain
A genius, as all ascertain

Rick’s acrobatics
In higher mathematics

Leave us agape, in the main

With a finish that’s typically Rick
He’s completed his doctoral shtick

Cap back on Bic,
Rick’s done the trick —

As usual, just in the nick

There’s a brilliant new jewel in his crown
His family will even come down

He’s reached a new height
And we note with delight

There are two Doctor Rick’s in this town

Rick Weller was put here to teach
He begins with the purest of speech,

Making knowledge appear
So exquisitely clear . . . .

And his students — such care goes to each

§ § §

He’s not just a mind but a bod
To which we now give a due nod

Not last and not least
He’s a tennis artiste —

At Amherst he captained his squad

He moves with such artistry, grace
You’re awed as he ripples through space

And all of his shots
Hit all the right spots —

Everything’s right in its place

He forehand, his backhand are thrilling you
To watch such fine form is fulfilling you

You’re scarcely aware,
With the dazzle out there,

That Rick, your great friend, has been killing you

Talk about surgical strikes —
It’s something that Rick rather likes

His overheads, sallies,
Pound baselines and alleys —

Defending against him is — Yikes!

§ § §

Rick is the consummate friend
The friend on whom all can depend

The friend there in need
The friend there in deed

The friend from beginning to end

Whatever your project or task
For assistance, you simply need ask

What he’s doing he stops
To your purpose he hops

And in his attention you bask

He’ll instantly lend you a hand
And an arm, and a leg . . . and . . . and . . . and

Now and forever
He’ll lend you whatever —

Whatever is at his command

He’ll lend you his books, fridge, or car
Unconcerned with how long or how far

He opens his doors —
His tools? They’re yours

As a lender, the man is a star

He assists to the end, without fail
With such care for the smallest detail

He gets your job done
And he makes your job fun

Whatever your job may entail

§ § §

And hail to our chief of high hopping —
Off the foam Rick is constantly popping

For an instant in time
He’s afloat — he’s sublime,

Again and again, with no stopping

Who here among us could claim
To possess to propitious a name

The whole of the Ved
In his name has been laid —

And his name and his form are the same

Rick is a Weller, all right
Sinking deep wells to pure light

Deep wells to pure bliss
To the That in all This

The bliss so long hidden from sight

Sinking wells in this fairest of fields
With the mighty techniques that he wields

Rick’s hit a gusher
A huge upward rusher

And beholds the most awesome of yields

Rick’s wells reach the heart of infinity
He cranks up whole buckets of divinity

We give him our thanks
For the buckets he cranks

And distributes throughout the vicinity

Look in the eyes of this boy
This Weller who wells with pure joy

He wells with pure life
(Along with his wife)

Pure bliss without any alloy

This man makes the universe tick —
Our brother through thin and through thick

Our number one pick
He gives us a kick
We give him a hand —
He’s rapid and grand —

This wonderful Weller named Rick

JABBERWOCKY FOR ROCKY

What day is today? May the Six
Whose birthday’s today? Why, it’s Rick’s!

This Rock is a jewel
In a crystalline pool —

Let’s see what sweet lines we can fix

His origin truly is grand*
His nature has been to expand

From the Rapids up north
Rock sallied forth

And the world’s now at his command

He joined MIU’s CEG
And proceeded to go on a spree

From tutoring “numbers”
To mile-high wonders

He did all but complete the degree**

From Vedic Atom to Iowa City
Where things became too nitty-gritty

Moving from mainframes
South down to brain names

Rick soon was sitting more pretty***

A year he spent studying neuro
Naming and drawing each furrow

Then physics appeared
And Rocky was cheered

His preparation had truly been thorough

Who knows when sleep closes his eyes?
But he’s certainly early to rise

Problem on problem
Rock will just gobble ’em

He’s healthy and wealthy and wise

Now Rocky plays “sets” after sets
The faculty serve him — no “lets”

A kind of a sport
Played not on a court

But a field with no boundaries or nets****

Rock’s a marvelous man
Especially owning that van

When someone needs hauling
He’s there for the calling —

He’s ready, he’s willing, he can

His game is a marvel of grace
Of delicate timing and grace

Rock will express
Such subtle finesse

As he smears them all over the place

From Rock you will never hear griping
He’s just not a bird of that striping

He’s shining pure glee
And who wouldn’t be

Wearing miles of such beautiful piping?*****

His heart’s in a lady named Sue
There’s nothing that Sue cannot do

From preparing a feast
To signage (not least)

To helping to see Rocky through******

He’s the friend to whom other friends flock
The favorite on everyone’s block

The list never ends
Of his numberless friends

Who treasure their Piece of the Rock

* Rick was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as was Sue.

** CEG was the Council of Executive Governors, a large group of TM teachers to came to MIU/MUM in the late 1970s to assume administrative positions in the university while also enrolled in a master’s program in higher education administration. But Rick left on the Vedic Atom project before completing the degree.

*** “Vedic Atoms” were groups of 10 people that Maharishi formed to help boost the efforts of TM centers in cities around the country. Rick and Sue joined one of these. Then Rick enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Iowa for a year. After a year they were back in Fairfield, with Rick enrolled in the new PhD program in neuroscience, later switching to physics.

**** Rick is a great tennis player (captain of his team at Amherst), but this verse refers to problem sets in his PhD program.

***** At that time cotton program pants often had a design detail called striping that ran down the outer seam. I’d make fun of it.

****** While Rick was studying in Iowa City, Sue had a job in the design department at the hospital, where her focus was creating interior signage. A waste of her talent — but also a great source of amusement.

******* “Rock,” obviously, is my nickname for Rick. “Own a piece of the Rock” is a Prudential Insurance Company slogan.