Heart and Soul
haiku for Doctor John and Nate Peterson
with all of me
BIG WIND SPOILS THE GROUND
WHERE LOTUS BLOOMS ANYWAY.
WHO WOULD ROW PLANT CLOUDS?
This haiku is a revision of one originally drafted during Dhvani, Resonance, the Poetics of Sound, and Quantum Listening, MFA course with Silvia Nakkach at CIIS Spring 2025
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I dedicate this haiku to Doctor John Peterson and his son Nathan. We’ve been friends since my early childhood when the family moved to Muncie, Indiana. In addition to sharing a “free-range” neighborhood in the late 70’s to early 80’s, Nathan, his sister Anna, and I learned together at the preschool that my mother started at Friends Memorial Church, and then at Burris Laboratory School until I moved to Richmond in third grade.
Known most fondly as Wah or Doc, Doctor John practiced Western and Ayurvedic medicine generously. Wah provided essential quality care to those who needed it most often by barter or solely with knowledge that he’d done what he could to be of service.
Physician by trade, Wah was a musician by heart. As I knew him in the Peterson home, if not coming from or going to the office or hospital, Wah was playing the piano. His professional gigs of the 60’s included recording at Old Chess Studios and Universal Studios in Chicago, and opening for Sonny and Cher, The Beach Boys, and The Doors. In 1992, Wah opened Doc’s Music Hall in downtown Muncie and operated the venue until 2012. He also recorded with several local musicians, including my brother Johnny Bennett (see “Heart and Soul” below).
Still practicing medicine full time at 78 years old, Wah passed suddenly on July 14th, 2026 while attending an annual conference in Colorado with his wife Vicki, my Transcendental Meditation teacher and one of my chosen mothers. My deepest gratitude goes to Vicki and Wah for the significant support they’ve provided me since I devoted myself to Extinction Witness in 2012.
With Wah’s sudden death comes grief complicated by the hard work of transitioning his medical practice over the next few months while ensuring that his staff and patients are well supported. Whether or not you knew Wah, please consider contributing toward this critical transition via the following donation paths. Please also see the links to more from Wah, his family, and friends. Thank you.
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To support the transition of Dr. John C Peterson’s medical practice, please send donations via
PayPal: @JohnPeterson777
Venmo: @John-Peterson-777
Or by check made payable to:
Dr. John C Peterson, 2423 W. Jackson St., Muncie, IN 47303
Read Dr. John C. Peterson’s Obituary at The Star Press
Johnny Bennett and Doctor John Peterson; “Heart and Soul” at Doc’s SoundCloud
“Heart and Soul” – Johnny Bennett (vocals) and Doctor John (keyboard) via Doc’s SoundCloud; Original 1938 – Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Frank Loesser (lyrics)
“Muncie remembers ‘Doc’ Peterson for a lifetime of healing and music” – Ball State Daily News
“Giving Up The Ghosts: Closing Time At Doc's Music Hall” (Blu-ray) – MVD Shop: “Robert Mugge's feature-length music documentary explores the twin careers of respected physician and musician Dr. John Peterson and the music and arts venue he owned and helped operate in downtown Muncie, Indiana from 1992 to 2012.”
The True-Life Adventures of Captain Wa Wah – captainwawah.com
“Doctor John” Peterson on SoundCloud
© 2026 Megan Hollingsworth | All Rights Reserved