Author Information
A Literary Giant
He wore a grey overcoat,
A black fur cap with earflaps,
Felt boots and galoshes,
Addressing a large crowd
Of young writers in Flint,
Michigan, declaring
With a thick Russian accent:
"You, my American comrades,
What do you know about
Chekhov or Dostoyesvsky?
You who grew up with your
Abercrombie & Fitch,
Victoria's Secret Bras and
Fake Hollywood Orgasms,
And your thousand channels
Of mindless rubbish--
What do you know about
Passion and soul?"
And he looked around him,
Seeing the vacant smiles
Of his young audience,
Where some guy shouted:
"Peace out, dude, it's all good!"
And he looked straight into
His eyes, saying:
"See what I mean! This whole
Place is a joke and this
University is a joke!"
And then he said in Russian:
"Chyort poberi!" leaving the stage
With his latest book under
His arm entitled
"Love in the Time of Futility,"
Which has won him
The Nobel Prize in Literature…
And he never set his foot
In that godforsaken place
Ever again.
May 25, 2008
