The Hopeful New Yorker

Photo by the artist

Arbuses show up, always,

hosting picnics in Whitestone,

delivering sour pickles

and Bronx fresh baked bread and cookies

for Bubby’s Paterson Rosh Hashanah dinners,

roasted leg of lamb for thirty family and Far Rockaway neighbors

Arbuses leave the welcome light on for all seasons,

from Delray Beach to Paterson,

west coast from Pasadena east to Vermont 

and Marvin lived all his graciousness well,

going about his arbusness in his modest gentle way,

Pied Pipering picnics for our kids,

delighting cousins with his intellect and passion

while exploring Manhattan’s great museums and restaurants,

storytelling over long walks through Central Park or

laughing along his City’s downtown sidestreets

and it was always Marvin’s treat,

offering you that joyous smile

with random acts of the exquisite Arbus kindness

he’d inherited  

remembering a time he’d decided to learn some languages,

Italian, Spanish, others,

his mind always forward moving

discovering more about our world,

interacting with immigrant shop owners and busboys,

his goodnatured way of contributing a little more to the greatest city in the world

our beloved hopeful New Yorker,

an accomplished chemist and master of apothecary,

believed a smile stirred with sweetness and generosity cured whatever ailment,

practicing what he’d learned  

from his Arbus mentors all: grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles,

sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, cousins –

his lifelong confidants

yes, the Arbus children know: Marvin took us anywhere there were gardens,

celebrated our birthdays, our weddings and mitzvahs,

remembered and assuaged our losses

no matter the distance,

no matter the cost

Cousin Marvin, yes, yours was a hopeful life:

an unassuming candle forever glowing,

you were a singular man ever traveling in hopeful footsteps,

steps that all who loved you now may follow,

surely never forgetting you,

another remarkable rock inscribed upon our Arbus memories

Tucson

August 12, 2024