REPORT CARDS

Our high school friend,

had a brain on fire.

A member of Mensa,

he knew everything

about everything,

and delighted in grading us

on our knowledge of music,

art, dance, politics

and literature.

He issued a Fatwa on anyone

whining about boredom—

an F- for sure, demanding

that we awaken each morning

ready to wrestle with tigers.

At The Royal Roost, he introduced

us to bop, Coltrane, Dizzy and Bird,

taught us how to tap dance, soft shoe,

and harmonize Broadway tunes.

Years later,

his career floundered,

and he left his wife and kids

for another man— changed

his name and moved away.

Octogenarian classmates

voted to give him

an Incomplete.