Can't swim； uses credit cards and pills to combat

    intolerable feelings of inadequacy；

    Won't admit his dread of boredom， chief impulse behind

    numerous marital infidelities；

    Looks fat in jeans， mouths clichés with confidence，

    breaks mother's plates in fights；

    Buys when the market is too high， and panics during

    the inevitable descent；

    Still， Pop can always tell the subtle difference

    between Pepsi and Coke，

    Has defined the darkness of red at dawn， memorized

    the splash of poppies along

    Deserted railway tracks， and opposed the war in Vietnam

    months before the students，

    Years before the politicians and press； give him

    a minute with a road map

    And he will solve the mystery of bloodshot eyes；

    transport him to mountaintop

    And watch him calculate the heaviness and height

    of the local heavens；

    Needs no prompting to give money to his kids； speaks

    French fluently， and tourist German；

    Sings Schubert in the shower； plays pinball in Paris；

    knows the new maid steals， and forgives her.