William Michaelian

Poems, Notes, and Drawings

A Few More Scratches

Worth, Proof, Gratitude

There’s no need to prove my worth. Life has already done so by bringing me here. Proof — according to whose set of rules? according to which belief or philosophy? compared with which saint, hero, or lunatic, widely or privately known? When I’m grateful — truly grateful — don’t I already give joy to the world? . [ 1630 ]

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Unnamable The

Not many days ago, and an equally uncertain number of nights, I read backward and aloud the last page of Samuel Beckett’s The Unnamable. Standing before our big front window, paced by the commas, I read the words slowly and with feeling. When I reached the top of the page, I wondered if the author might not have done the same thing himself. It’s possible he could even have written […]

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Money, Simplified

Save a dollar — what does that mean? Is the dollar in danger? Is it in dire need of my help? And how do I know which dollar it is I’m to save? How will I recognize it among other dollars? Will any dollar do? What happens if I save the wrong dollar, a dollar that doesn’t want to be saved, or doesn’t need saving at all, a dollar on […]

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