The Great Hippopotamus (by Mitch Sisskind)

 

Danny was a unique character having been

The youngest prisoner in San Quentin for

A period of time during his overall 25 years

Of incarceration in Q and in other California

Institutions of higher learning plus time

In the old federal lockup in Marion Illinois.

When I asked Danny how he felt when they

Welded him into his cell he laughed and said

That although he couldn't get out they couldn't

Get in either so you could say it was neither

Fish nor fowl. That's the way he always was,

Cool as a cucumber with a smile on his face.

One day however Danny seemed a bit out of

Sorts so I asked what the matter might be.

He said, 'I was in my car on La Brea Avenue

'When a good looking girl pulled up beside me

'And said I should pull over to the curb because

'She wanted to talk to me so I did as she said.'

He continued, 'When I pulled over to the curb

'She said her car was falling apart and she

'Asked me to rent a car for her since she didn't

'Have any credit cards or even a driver's license.

'I rented a car for her but then she didn't bring

'The car back, she just kept driving around in it.'

He went on, 'When I was notified of the problem

'By the rent-a-car company I went looking for her

'And when I found her I said hey you didn't bring

'The car back and now they are charging me

'Fifty dollars a day or whatever it is plus the car

'Is on my insurance so what if you cracked it up?'

As he went on I noticed a small scar on his nose

And tempting though it was to ask after its origin

I thought better of it. Now here is the funny part.

The next day I was accidentally whacked on the

Nose by a fellow opening the door to Starbucks

And the upshot was I got a scar just like Danny's.

What are the odds of getting whacked on the nose

So soon after seeing a scar on the nose of another?

Einstein wrote, 'Die Quantenmechanik ist achtung-

Gebietend aber eine innere Stimme sagt mir dass

Der Alte nicht würfelt.' Very well! But instead of

The Old One I speak of the Great Hippopotamus.

 

 

 

Comments

[Jill Newnham]

I like the style of this poem and the use of such phrases as "now here is the funny part" and "what are the odds." Refreshing.

[Tony Paris]

Really enjoyed the poem, though isn't what Einstein famously said that "god doesn't play dice with the universe"? Can you write a poem about that?

[mitch sisskind]

Hi, thanks for your message and I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. In writing it I tried to research the quote which, as you can see on the link below, gradually took on a life of its own. The first and most complete version of the quote seems to have been in a 1926 letter:

Die Quantenmechanik ist sehr achtung-gebietend. Aber eine innere Stimme sagt mir, daß das doch nicht der wahre Jakob ist. Die Theorie liefert viel, aber dem Geheimnis des Alte bringt sie uns kaum näher. Jedenfalls bin ich überzeugt, daß der nicht würfelt.

I love the phrase "der wahre Jakob" -- "the true Jacob" -- which I had never seen before and I would have liked to use it in the poem but couldn't see a way to do it. Meanwhile I did take liberties with the dice quote, which possibly exists in several versions.

Here's the link that I found most helpful:
https://www.quora.com/What-were-the-exact-words-that-Albert-Einstein-said-in-German

Best wishes,
Mitch

[Tony Paris]

Thank you for these helpful links. I always wondered what Einstein meant.

[David Lehman]

I, too, love the "true Jacob." As opposed to what? Not Esau, a brute but true to his nature. More likely the "true Jacob" is he who has wrestled the angel of god to a standstill, been wounded, and won the blessing of a new name.