The honey of heaven may or may not come,

But that of earth both comes and goes at once.

—WALLACE STEVENS, “Le Monocle de Mon Oncle”

Hate. Love. Those are names, Rudi. Soon I am old.

—JAMES JOYCE, Ulysses

Life a funny thang.

—SONNY LISTON

i tell ya,

did you take notice of the flag?

i couldn’t believe it.

just as jim rice came to the plate,

the wind started blowing to left field.

it not only helped yastrzemski’s homer,

but it hurt jackson’s,

the wind was blowing to right field

when jackson hit the fly ball,

when yaz hit the homer

the wind was blowing to left field,

kept it from going foul.

strike one to piniella.

somebody told me

the red sox control the elements up here

i didn’t believe ’em until today

—PHIL RIZZUTO, “They Own the Wind,” O Holy Cow! The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto