Before we get to the poem we need to set a few things straight. I am (or was) the Chair/President of the Parent Association Steering Committee (PASC) for Hillsdale College during the 2024-2025 school year. In this time it was my pleasure to perform my usual duties of running meetings, being an ambassador for the college and addressing all of the parents and staff at various luncheons.
Another of my duties included introducing Dr. Arnn during the President's Club reception in his home.
In the Fall of 2024 I apparently made a huge faux pas by simply saying, "Here is Dr. Arnn." They wanted an intro, something splashy and gooey I suppose. Maybe I should have said it in my football announcer's voice.
So, in the Spring of 2025 I was again tasked with introducing Dr. Arnn to the small President's Club crowd that had gathered sipping wine while nibbling on lamb chops, crab cakes and dessert cups filled with mashed potatoes covered in cheese, chives, bacon and butter. I needed something with a little shock and awe if you will. To be honest, I wanted to have the effect of leaving Dr. Arnn without words for at least a few seconds. I had a couple of ideas but they weren't clicking for me in my mind.
I needed inspiration.
I needed a muse.
Little did I know it would come in the guise of a polygon shaped robot-vehicle. It took me an afternoon but I was able to craft and sculpt the following poem. It rhymed, which is unusual for me when I write poems.
And even though it is lighthearted and fun, it is with the highest respect to Dr. Arnn and Hillsdale College that I offer this poem:
On seeing Dr. Arnn in his Cybertruck
A steel minded man, unyielding, bold,
Like tales of grit, from days of old,
He steers this beast of angles sharp,
A stainless steed, the Cybertruck - his metal harp.
No dread of darkness, doubt or sneer
He’ll drop some truth if you give him ear
Armed with blades made from books.
Replete with beauty, truth and good
In moving fortress, firm, upright,
Shaping minds through day and night
He’s a scholar-king, both fierce and wise,
Our future glints within young eyes.
No timid soul, no faint retreat,
He forges ahead where trails unmeet,
A rugged frame, a titan’s creed,
In Tesla’s armor, built for speed.
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