When I act tough they listen politely till the spasm passes. They know.

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.

The happy childhood is hardly worth your while.

Teacher? I never dreamed I could rise so high in the world

Your mind is a treasure house that you should stock well and it's the one part of you the world can't interfere with.

They all went into the bar business. Which was a mistake, because they began to sip at the merchandise and it set them back, set us all back. Well, them more than I.

My childhood here... was very limited. So it was a long, long time before I actually went out to Brooklyn.