"Days With the Family Realist"

A poem for the 2009 Phi Beta Kappa Literary Exercises

Albert Goldbarth

 

 

Albert Goldbarth's introductory remarks

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

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

Poem: "Days With the Family Realist" [video:https://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

Making Money Funny

Matt Levine’s spunky Bloomberg column

Off the Shelf

The wealth gap, shamanism, the life of David Nathan, and more

An Original Magna Carta, Hidden in Plain Sight

A rare original surfaces at Harvard at an “almost providential” moment. 

Most popular

Hold the Fries

Baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes are better.

What’s At Stake—Your Letters

Harvard Magazine readers respond to Harvard’s standoff with the Trump administration.

The Latest In Harvard’s Fight with the Trump Administration

Back-and-forth reports on settlement talks, new accusations from the government, and a reshuffling of two federal compliance offices

Explore More From Current Issue

Alexander Gardner’s 1868 photo shows federal peace commissioners with Sophie Mousseau, the lone woman at center.

The wealth gap, shamanism, the life of David Nathan, and more

Black-and-white photo of a person wearing a “STRIKE” shirt facing a large crowd in a stadium during a protest.

A retrospective on resistance

Four 2025 Centennial Medal recipients standing outdoors in a row, smiling, with greenery and a brick building behind them.

Four alumni of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are honored.