In Memoriam: Michael Reibel

November 24, 2020

In loving memory of Dr. Mike Reibel. Professor in the Geography and Anthropology Department

Michael Reibel, a dedicated and beloved professor in the Department of Geography and Anthropology, died unexpectedly on Nov. 12.

Reibel began teaching at Cal Poly �ǿմ�ý in 1998. He was an urban geographer and demographer who specialized in geographic trends in multicultural populations in the United States. He organized and chaired the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Council, a faculty organization that coordinates cross-disciplinary research, instruction, curriculum development and resources related to geospatial technologies across four colleges.

Read more about the legacy he leaves behind at the .

You can also read a tribute by Dr. Kristen Conway-Gomez, chair in the Geography and Anthropology department.

The Invention of Time

by Michael Reibel

What a colossal swindle.

The sun is running in place

huffing and puffing flares

that scorch the eyebrows of Mercury

but never moves through the sky

because there is no sky out there

only blackness

inky and eternal

like the first line Shakespeare ever wrote

there are no bells to call

the change of the watch on deck

no whistles or starting guns

the purple of sunset

the same today as yesterday

melts into yesterday

every time the wheel turns

but the wheel is still round

and it remains the wheel

only the chill of the infinite

only our vantage point

on the lustrous cheekbone of the blue pearl

only the crashing of dawn is real

the hammer of noonday

and the open arms of night