It is a pleasure to write this forward to Dancing Through Doorways and other Manhattan Poems. I met Robert in 1989 at the Liberty Adult Learning Center in Tucson, AZ. I was a new English as a Second Language instructor and was told by my supervisor to observe a master in action. I remember watching Robert work his Silent Way* magic, as he facilitated learning with animated gestures and humor, ensuring that students were the ones uttering English, not the teacher. I soon discovered that not only was he an exceptional teacher, but a prolific poet, painter, athlete, and musician. I am both fortunate and thankful that our friendship has lasted over these 30 plus years.
After Robert left Tucson, we maintained contact through a few phone calls and sporadic visits, but his personality is such that, no matter how much time has passed, one feels like it was just yesterday that you had that stimulating conversation about the arts and life. So, when I heard that he had relocated to Tucson a little over a year ago, I was elated. During this past year I have been inspired by his unceasing energy and the generous enthusiasm that he brings to our friendship. Whatever it is he loves, he is compelled to share it, be it pickle-ball, (which I now play because of his encouragement and teaching) music, visual arts, or poetry. We have even formed a small music ensemble thanks to his persuasion, if not assertion. This man, without a doubt, continues to exude the same creative lust for life today as he did when I first met him. That being said, it truly has been an honor and a joy to read his latest volume of poetry.
These poems confirm what I always feel when I’m in Robert’s presence: you can take the man out of New York, but you can’t take the New York out of the man. As you journey through the stanzas, prepare to get jostled in the backseat of a cab, lured by echoes of Charlie Parker, and led down the wet, dark alleyways of the greatest city in the world. Whether you miss the pace and hum of the city, or are glad you left that life behind, this latest volume will evoke a personal nostalgia for the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.
Kathy Budway, Tucson, AZ, June, 2023
* The Silent Way, developed by Egyptian mathematician Caleb Gattegno in the 1960s, is a philosophy and approach to teaching that stresses the importance of student-directed, discovery learning, as opposed to rote repetition and memorization.