A Religious Epiphany in Queens


Jimmy Jurgens tells the 
group he jewed George 
down, turns to me, a 
middle-school guidance 
counselor, asks if I’m
 
Jewish. I am trying not 
to be, don’t believe in 
religion, just want to 
do good. Jimmy sees the 
Catch-22 on my face,
 
doesn’t understand it. If
someone called him a mick, 
goodnight Irene. “Does it 
matter if I’m Jewish, Jim?” 
“Yeah, wouldn’t have said it
 
if I’d known.” “You shouldn’t 
have said it anyway.” Says he 
gets that, waits to see if I’ll 
cop to my faith. I weigh the 
pros and cons: sins of dogma,
 
obstacle to progress, accident of 
one’s birth versus two thousand 
years of slaughter, ghettoization, 
being pushed around. The words 
roll out, “Yes, I’m a Jew.”
 


 
The History of Rejection

 
When I was in kindergarten Mrs. Kaufman refused 
to give me milk and cookies with the rest of the 
kids. Nine years later Karen Codrington refused 
to put out. I cried like a six-year-old.
 
“Stick to stickball” said Coach Carl when he 
scratched me from the Erasmus High baseball 
squad. My music teacher was kinder in his 
negation, “The clarinet is not for you.” 
 
I obeyed their demands but the boys of Beta Pi 
blackballed me, final pledge month, City College. 
The military was faster with their fuhgettaboutit when 
I failed my physical, Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn.
 
As an adult, snubs über alles: relationships, 
jobs, publishing prospects, cats. 
So far no organ rejections but then 
I’ve never had transplants.
 
The original meaning of rejection 
was to throw or throw back. That’s 
what God did to the First Couple, 
flung them from Paradise.
 
Jesus was rejected in his hometown,
among his relatives, in his own household.
Mohammed was rebuffed when he traveled to
Taif to call on the people to hear his preaching.
 
Spielberg was spurned by 
the USC School of Theater, 
Film and Television, twice. I’d of 
gotten the message the first time.
 


 
 
Do No Harm


so said Hippocrates of Cos,
“As to diseases, make a habit of 
two things—to help, or at least 
to do no harm.”
 
Nowadays
there is no single oath 
all physicians take upon 
entering practice.
 
Similarly 
there is no single oath 
all humans take when
entering relationships,
 
and that is a pity 
because the world would 
be a far better place 
if we all vowed to
 
do no harm to friends, family
strangers, acquaintances, pets, 
and other life forms, the rest 
is just commentary.