Yesterday afternoon a man walked up to me on the street, introduced
himself as Czar, asked to see the book in my hands, began reading poems
aloud to test their meter, and announced that they were all deficient,
that we would need to get together and teach them how it was done,
beginning with Bach and Mozart. I protested:
—I don't think these poems are *trying* to be metrical in the way you
want them to be.
—You're too generous!
—There are worse vices at twenty-one.
—You're much too generous. I want you saying things so harsh you have
to slit your throat.