Category Archives: Wisdom



A Philosophical Inquiry Into The Nature of Hell

Hell, of course, is a state of mind.
It’s not eternal burning flesh.
It’s not stuffed up the fat behind
Of some corrupted monk. The crèche Continue reading →

Posted in Pain, Wisdom

Ph.D Oral Exam—1957

Nothing so challenges serenity
As the prospect of an oral exam.
Our academic life’s amenities
Shrink before that specter. And, as I crammed Continue reading →

Posted in Vanity, Wisdom

In the Classroom—1958

I passed the orals well; my chairman viewed
Me warmly, embracing me as a peer;
And let me teach “Great Books” at NYU—
“General Ed” for cold-eyed engineers. Continue reading →

Posted in Conformity, Wisdom

Physical Education

Weedy wight, nervous soul,
Inclinéd oft to cough—
Metabolism, basal, high,
Reedy ectomorph.
Continue reading →

Posted in Sports, Wisdom