William Plank
Foreign Lang. & Lit.
MSU-Billings
I take the Boston T
Get off at MIT
Crisp young Japanese he
Smiles at me
Opens door
Deferentially.
He must think
The grizzled beard
And tousled hair
Mean that I'm professor there.
But I come like a
thief at night
A shame-faced burglar
of the mind
To see what booty
I can find,
My foolish heart and
lazy brain
Disguised by age to
ape the wise,
Pretend my thoughts are
more than vain
Concoctions, dreams
and lies.
Hello Noams says me
Slapping him on the back
Hello Bills says he
Slapping me back
On the back
Read any good books lately, says he
Sure thing Noams, says me
One or two or three
How's things at MIT, says me
Oh you know, says he
Comme ca comme ci
I speak French too, says me
I thought you did, says he
How's things at EMC, says he
Oh we're doing the best we
Can for the nation's youth
And the life of the mind
What have you learned out here, says he
I've learned, says me
That Boston Irish have no lips
Only a hole
A little round hole
Where their mouth ought to be
OK Bills see ya 'round, says he
Yep Noams, says me
Don't take any wooden nickels, see?