When I Act Tough They Listen Politely

There Are So Many Ways Of Saying Hi. Hiss It, Trill It, Bark It, Sing It, Bellow It, Laugh It, Cough It. A Simple Stroll In The Hallway Calls For Paragraphs, Sentences In Your Head, Decisions Galore.

I Don't Believe In Happiness Anyway... It's Too Much Of An American Pastime, This Search For Happiness. Just Forget Happiness And Enjoy Your Misery.

Sit And Quiet Yourself. Luxuriate In A Certain Memory And The Details Will Come. Let The Images Flow. You'll Be Amazed At What Will Come Out On Paper. I'm Still Learning What It Is About The Past That I Want To Write. I Don't Worry About It. It Will Emerge. It Will Insist On Being Told.

I Can't Go Too Much Into My Domestic Life Because There Are Ex-wives Ready To Do Me In.

I Had No Accomplishments Except Surviving. But That Isn't Enough In The Community Where I Came From, Because Everybody Was Doing It. So I Wasn't Prepared For America, Where Everybody Is Glowing With Good Teeth And Good Clothes And Food.