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The “Bob” in these limericks is Robert W. Duncan,
who was Episcopal Bishop of Pittsburgh in 2006. I wrote these poems
in April of that year with the help of someone whose identity I don’t
recall. I lost track of the limericks and rediscovered them years
later.
 Bishop
Duncan had been plotting the removal of the
diocese from the Episcopal Church, ostensibly over theological
differences. Two years later, he partially succeeded, separating a
majority of its parishes from the diocese but failing to abscond with
the diocese itself and a smaller number of its parishes. The schism was
effected only after the Episcopal Church had deposed Duncan, removing
him as a priest of the church.
Some further background is needed to
appreciate these poems. “A canon named Vicky” in the second poem refers
to Vicky Gene Robinson, a canon and gay man who was elected Bishop of
New Hampshire. (Robinson’s odd given name resulted from his parents,
anticipating a female child, being presented instead with a
male infant born at death’s door.) Bob Duncan opposed
homosexuality and the ordination of homosexuals. The church’s stance
regarding homosexuals was a major rationale Duncan cited justifying his
schismatic actions.
“Nawab,” also in the second poem, is likely unfamiliar to most
readers. It is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable. It is
a synonym of “nabob,” a more common word but one that would have created
an inferior rhyme.
— LED,
4/6/2023 |
