HeeSun Koh

My club activities began on February 21st when I attended the new member welcome reception. It hasn’t even been two months yet, and I was invited to a member’s house for the first time. Bill, who happened to be at the same table during lunch on Friday, invited me. His house has a garden, and he wanted to show it to me.

Bill (William Dick), hailing from Dalkeith, Scotland, was a professor of modern American history at the University of Toronto, Scarborough. On June 12, 2017, the golden wedding anniversary of Bill and his wife Madelyn was celebrated grandly in our club’s hall. Consequently, the two soon became members.

Andrei was Madelyn’s student at York University and helped her edit and publish a novel after graduation. Andrei became involved with the club when he was invited for their golden wedding anniversary. He mentioned that he really liked the atmosphere in the Great Hall, which made him feel like he was in a castle due to its gothic style. The windows were lovely, the furniture was authentic, and there was a fireplace…

It was a gloriously sunny day when I visited his house, the air filled so gently and warmly. Bill and Andrei and I enjoyed tea under the warm sunlight in his garden, where spring flowers were blooming brightly.

In the garden, there is a peculiar tree called a Catalpa. At first glance, it may seem like a dead tree due to its bare branches and lack of foliage, but when the time is right, vibrant leaves burst forth from the seemingly lifeless branches, creating a stunning display of color and beauty. This sudden blossoming, akin to a miracle, adds to the mystique and allure of this tree.

The Catalpa

John Ciardi

The catalpa’s white week is ending there

in its corner of my yard. It has its arms full

of its own flowering now, but the least air

spills off a petal and a breeze lets fall

whole coronations. There is not much more

of what this is. Is every gladness quick?

That tree’s a nuisance, really. Long before

the summer’s out, its beans, long as a stick,

will start to shed. And every year one limb

cracks without falling off and hangs there dead

till I get up and risk my neck to trim

what it knows how to lose but not to shed.

I keep it only for this one white pass.

The end of June’s its garden; July, its Fall;

all else, the world remembering what it was

in the seven days of its visible miracle.

What should I keep if averages were all?

*Source: The Collected Poems of John Ciardi (University of Arkansas Press, 1997)

The white flowers of the catalpa tree that bloomed in June.

The wind felt a little chilly, so we decided to come inside. One thing that immediately caught my attention in the living room was the portrait of Madelyn, radiating elegance and intelligence from within the frame. She had been the most active member of the club, especially during writers’ gatherings. Upstairs, the attic had been transformed into Bill’s study. Despite its designation as an attic, the space was impeccably organized, boasting bookshelves filled with volumes, an antique desk, a comfortable chaise longue for breaks, two 200-year-old leather-adorned wooden chairs, and an electric piano that Bill frequently played once upon a time. The view of the garden from the window was peaceful.

Downstairs, in a small nook next to the staircase, souvenirs from their travels adorned the walls, while conches and seashells collected from the beach emitted the scent of the sea, enhancing the room’s maritime ambiance.

In the basement, there was a comfortable room filled with many books, equipped with a turntable and a collection of records. Bill played an old record by the German actress Marlene Dietrich. As the music crackled to life, a beautiful melody filled the room, stirring a faint but unmistakable sense of nostalgia. Bill couldn’t help but reminisce about the times he and his wife had danced together.

The essence of Bill and Madelyn’s life permeated every corner of the house. They were a couple who nurtured a beautiful garden together, entertained friends and acquaintances with delicious dinners, enjoyed moments of laughter and dancing, and engaged in intellectual pursuits in their study.

                                 Bill & Andrei

I silently prayed. May this house, filled with their lives and history, be preserved beautifully as it is… Blessings to Andrei for his devoted care of Bill.(Andrei has been assisting Bill since Madelyn had a stroke in November 2020.)

I wrote this article after becoming a member of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto

                                              April 19, 2024