3. Mr. Amnesia: Cambridge

In 1962, after ten years of writing poetry, my book,

Uncle Dog & Other Poems, was published by Putnam

in England.  That was followed by two books from

Cornell University Press, Kissing the Dancer  and

Thousand-Year-Old Fiancee.  Then in 1966, I was

invited to do 14 poetry readings in a two-week

stretch at places like Dartmouth, Amherst, and the

University of Connecticut.

         The day before I was scheduled to embark on the

reading series, I was hit by a speeding MG in

Cambridge, Massachusetts.

         I lost my memory for a period of about 24 hours.

Just as I saw the world fresh while cruising to a

war zone, so I now caught a glimpse of what a city

like Cambridge can look like when one's inner slate,

so to speak, is wiped clean.

_____

Note: Yes, I made ALL the readings. Interest in autobiography & life history dates from experience with amnesia.