"Days With the Family Realist"

A poem by Phi Beta Kappa poet Albert Goldbarth

Albert Goldbarth

 

 

Albert Goldbarth's introductory remarks

[video:http://harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/media/2009-goldbarth-intro-remarks.mp3 width:250 height:20]

Poem: "Voyage" [video:http://harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/media/2009-goldbarth-voyage-b.mp3 width:250 height:20]

Poem: "Days With the Family Realist" [video:http://harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/media/2009-goldbarth-days.mp3 width:250 height:20]

 

For complete coverage of the 2009 Phi Beta Kappa ceremony, see Harvard Magazine's Commencement kick-off and "'Habits are Values in Disguise': The Phi Beta Kappa Exercises"

 

 

 

 

A doorknob on a chicken
my grandmother said once, meaning

useless, stupid. Most of us,
most of the time, are that

exactly. Not that
we don’t have our ambitions,

even our nickel-and-dime
nobilities. Still, some nights

when I can’t sleep, I look
in the mirror, I study this man

who’s planning his own small
parthenons and relativity theories,

bank heists, moon shots, deathless poems.
Go milk a fish she also said. 

 

 

Text copyright Albert Goldbarth

You might also like

A New Chapter for Harvard Arts

The Office for the Arts turns 50, and its longtime director steps down.

Education School Announces Interim Dean

Nonie Lesaux will serve as dean during search

Harvard Students form Pro-Palestine Encampment

Protesters set up camp in Harvard Yard

Most popular

The Homelessness Public Health Crisis

Homelessness has surged in the United States, with devastating effects on the public health system.

Marc Hauser “Engaged in Research Misconduct”

Federal investigative agency reports on former Harvard psychology professor’s work

Inside Harvard’s Taylor Swift Class

An English course pairs the music with Willa Cather, William Wordsworth, and Dolly Parton.

More to explore

What is the Best Breakfast and Lunch in Harvard Square?

The cafés and restaurants of Harvard Square sure to impress for breakfast and lunch.

How Homelessness is a Public Health Crisis

Homelessness has surged in the United States, with devastating effects on the public health system.

Portfolio Diet May Reduce Long-Term Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke, Harvard Researchers Find

A little-known diet improves cardiovascular health through several distinct mechanisms.