In Memoriam, Tim Congdon
Tim Congdon
Tim sent me this in February of 2008. I will miss him. He ‘tore through the iron gates of time’. My love to Zach, who lost a father. The rest of us lost a poet and a sort of human wolverine who refused to concede to disease or reality one quark more than they took by necessity. Every time he showed up in Ithaca, his bald chemo-head wrapped in a bandana, his eyes complicated by pain, I was stunned. ‘Still out walking, Congdon?’ Oh yes, and up for whatever he was up for. The last time it was smoking a joint in the parking lot before reading poems for the NOLA relief fund.
Kent. Vex not his ghost: O, let him pass! He hates him
That would upon the rack of this tough world
Stretch him out longer
Edg. He is gone indeed.
Kent. The wonder is, he hath endured so long:
He but usurp’d his life.
Be well Tim. Wear out the rack of heaven.
concrete parachute (by Tim Congdon)
first time
I drove past the hospital
saw the start of a long cemetery.
it stretched out for blocks and blocks then
over a mile, just as deep
as long.
frederick douglas and susan b anthony and
a whole whole lot of others buried there.
but here, from the 8th floor
in the bone
marrow transplant unit
atop the medical center
I spend the days
on more drugs now than I ever was
even at the height
of the psychedelic
wars.
the doctor
gave me a 20% chance
shook my hand.
I asked him
with that big ass cemetery out there and
after a month or more of looking out at the stones
has anyone ever jumped?
this morning
a day after my first
infusion of stem cells
I walk the long corridors
past intensive care and surgery,
the family waiting room
to the end of the building that
looks out over the expanse of the cemetery.
through rain drops
held in place on the window
defying gravity
I take in the rows of graves
and before turning back for my room I
say out loud:
fuck
you.
Hey Tim we had a time! Lets do it again…….
What a fierce live-er he was!!….. I am of his Grafton Peace Pagoda connection in upstate NY WE will do a little memorial service some time, maybe soon …. have not seen an obit … if anyone has, please share…. just got brief email from Zach …. thank god for the poets among us…dna
I met Tim when I lived in Prescott, Arizona; we both belonged to the same “Mad Linguist” poetry society. His courage in the face of one hardship after another has been an inspiration to us all and he will be deeply missed. He must be looking down wondering why we are still acting like the same bunch of idiots here on this violent sphere we call Planet Earth. The universe is so immense, yet we continue to fight over the smallest parcel of ground we pretend to own or belong to by accident of birth. Perhaps nobody understood the ignorance of that more than Tim, who for many years, didn’t own much more than the clothes on his back.
I bite my teeth, damn time, wish I could tell Tim in the here and now, that poem rocks. So very Tim. Never saw anything like it. He always had a plan. Jump in the van with the dogs and drive, right out of the reaper’s grasp. And he wasn’t about to let anyone tell him how to be sick. I will hold that picture when I’m going down.
Thank you all for your comments. Please keep me posted about any memorials, and anyone who has anything to share about Tim, I’d love to read it. This is an email Zach sent to me this morning:
He had a bleed in his brain that was drilled in to relieve the
pressure on his brain. After he seemed to be making a recovery his
brain began to bleed again. He then oppereated with only 25% of his
brain functioning. This was enough for him to hear and breathe but
that was all. He probably couldn’t even percieve pain but was kept on
a morphine drip just to make sure. He died peacefully and surrounded
by loved ones. Let me know if there are any other questions.
Love,
Zach
I did not know that Tim had passed away until reading the sad news here. My heartfelt condolences to Zach and to all that knew him. Tim submitted his poem ‘concrete parachute’ to our poetry contest and it won a commended award. I sent Tim an email telling him about the award but when he did not reply, feared the worst. Now I know. We are publishing a chapbook of the winning poems and I would like to send a copy to Zach. Please could you tell me his mailing address.
Zach Congdon
26 Mineola St
Rochester NY 14611
There will be a Buddhist Memorial Ceremony for Tim…. Feb 6th …. 2 PM … at the Leverett Peace Pagoda north of Amhearst MA …. for more info call Jacquie Gemme at 518-309-4801
The Aberdeen Foundation is planning to donate $50 per month to Common Grounds of New Orleans in honor of Tim Congdon’s memory, beginning in March. This monthly donation will continue as long as the foundation is able to afford to do so.
If anyone would like to make a doantion to this fund in honor of Tim through the foundation, any such funds donated will be sent to Common Grounds as well. You are welcome to pass this around to anyone who knew Tim and they can donate anytime, either now or in the future and, all funds donated in Tim’s name will go to Common Grounds with his name included with the donation. Donations should be made payable to “The Aberdeen Foundation” and Tim Congdon’s name should either be somewhere on the check or on a piece of paper so I will know what the donation is for.
Thank You, Sincerely
Richard Aberdeen
Freedom Tracks Records
615-889-1669 – 800-992-8084
richard@freedomtracks.com
http://www.FreedomTracks.com
solong for a while old buddy,we knew echother well.zach i only hope your travels broaden and experiences brighten,love you both.fred in b’ham.
If this is the Tim Congdon who lived in Bedford Hills NY as a child. I was his best friend all through our young years. I just heard of his death from his brother Ted (Theo) Congdon.I tried looking Tim up for years but couldnt find him. We had so many stories to remember.I was so saddened by his leaving. It took 2 years after his death to finally find out what happened, and I never had a chance to make him smile again and say good bye. Thanks Timmy for making my childhood a very wonderful time in my life. I,ll miss you. Billy
Hi Bill,
Yes, you have the right Tim. I’m glad you found this, and am sorry it took so long.
Jon
“The beauty of the house is order”. We will remember you and your fierce independence til the very end. Thank you for loving us. It is a gift to be forever cherished.
Thank you Frank and Caroline.