27. If You Were an English Poet

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Preface xiii
4. 1. Execution Poem Expert 1
5. 2. Spots of Time 3
6. 3 .Café Loup 4
7. 4. No Big Deal 6
8. 5. Cancer Alley 9
9. 6. The Crisis 10
10. 7. The Aftermath 12
11. 8. The Procedure 13
12. 9. The Protocol 14
13. 10. The Good Kind 16
14. 11. The Diarist 18
15. 12. None But the Strong 20
16. 13. Tropic of Cancer 22
17. 14. Hospitals and Airports 24
18. 15. Back to the Waiting Room 26
19. 16. “Hurry up, please, it’s time” 28
20. 17. Why 1963? 29
21. 18. Good Friday 33
22. 19. Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate! 35
23. 20. The Weekend Before 37
24. 21. “Bladder cancer: Isn’t that what Sinatra died of?” 39
25. 22. In a Technical Sense 41
26. 23. Five O’Clock Rush 42
27. 24. A Heart Event 44
28. 25. Good Show 46
29. 26. Metaport 47
30. 27. If You Were an English Poet 49
31. 28. The Regimen 51
32. 29. A Few Beacons in the Quicksand 53
33. 30. What’s the Story? 57
34. 31. Time Is on My Side 59
35. 32. Rush Job 63
36. 33. Final Call 64
37. 34. And Then You Crash 66
38. 35. Chemo 68
39. 36. Roid Rage 72
40. 37. Under the Garden 74
41. 38. The End 77
42. 39. Falling in Love Again 78
43. 40. Nothingness 80
44. 41. Syllabus 81
45. 42. Commencement Speech 84
46. 43. The Exquisite Corpse 86
47. 44. The Editorial “We” 87
48. 45. Oblivion 89
49. 46. Dostoyevsky 91
50. 47. The Spiritual Connection 93
51. 48. “Myself, When Stoned” 95
52. 49. Bloomsday 98
53. 50. Tom Collins 100
54. 51. The Admissions Officer 102
55. 52. Columbia 107
56. 53. Classic Koch 111
57. 54. The Poem Team 116
58. 55. Shakespeare’s Birthday 118
59. 56. Recovery Room 121
60. 57. The Rebbe 123
61. 58. Life Begins at Forty 127
62. 59. Search for Meaning 131
63. 60. The Old Religion 133
64. 61. The Problem of Evil 136
65. 62. Dean Martin’s Hat 137
66. 63. 740 Francs 139
67. 64. Shalom Aleichem Rides to the Rescue 141
68. 65. The Arrival of the Messiah 143
69. 66. Sabbath Services 145
70. 67. A Complicated Guy 148
71. 68. The Patient Next to You 151
72. 69. Cambridge 154
73. 70. Armistice Day, 1970 156
74. 71. The Sublime Pain of Being 158
75. 72. The Glass Skeleton 160
76. 73. Why Does the Bridge Not Progress? 163
77. 74. Q & A 165
78. 75. Ludlowville, 1981 169
79. 76. Bio Note (Alt.) 171
80. 77. Wedding Ceremony 174
81. 78. Moscow, 2007 177
82. 79. Group Therapy 180
83. 80. Fort Tryon Park 181
84. 81. A Fine Invention 182
85. 82. Identity Theft 184
86. 83. A Routine Visit 186
87. 84. Doctor Jew 188
88. 85. “Except for the cancer . . .” 192
89. 86. The Heart Knows 194
90. 87. A Black Dress 195
91. 88. Heisenberg as Hero 197
92. 89. Cheers! 199
93. 90. Walter Lehmann 200
94. 91. Rowing in Eden 203
95. 92. I Remember Mama 205
96. 93. No Regrets 208
97. 94. If I Could 212
98. 95. The Scar 213
99. 96. The Secret 214
100. 97. Like a Hurricane 215
101. 98. In the Eyes of the Beholder 217
102. 99. Champagne Cocktails 219
103. 100. In the Swim 221