612
There is no delusion for the man who is wealthy.
The Mockingbird is very influenced by the way I see my father, the geophysicist. The following poem shows the influence he has on me:
A Song for My Dad
You're all I've even wanted to be.
That's why being different feels like a mistake.
What I am
Has pulled me away
From what I wanted to be.
You never hit me
Or even punished me.
You've always told me how good and smart I am.
You've only loved me
And expected the best from me,
But you're all I've ever wanted to be,
And being different feels like a mistake.
I can hardly remember a time
That you were angry with me
And you have told me
That what is important
Is to make a living
Doing the work that I love.
I wanted to do the work that you love,
Because you're all I've ever wanted to be.
That's why being different feels like a mistake.
There's so much of you
Inside me
Because I love you.
You symbolized for me all that is stable,
Reasonable in me.
And what unsettles you tears me apart.
Your depression and decline
Is my depression and decline
Both directly and indirectly,
Consciously and unconsciously.
You're all I ever wanted to be.
That's why being different feels like a mistake.
613
Poverty contemplating: intelligence.
That which is taught remains in the heart.
I worked for my father for many years leasing seismic data which he had acquired through a sloppy merger. I became very familiar with the data and leased out a few areas which earned me enough money to continue my artistic efforts without any concern for compensation and to begin graduate school at St. John's College. The Arkoma Basin Piece was performed during this time. Also the following proposal was written though it hasn't been funded yet. Note the Geophysical influences: