Thoughts of Being

By Daniel Polsky M.D OBM

Daniel Polsky, shines his introspective light as well as his empathy and belief in the power of the human spirit through the character portraits, odes to loved ones, and thoughts about life and suffering (like that of the Holocaust and 9-11.) He exposes the irony and humor of life, but also its loneliness and emptiness. The brutally honest essays in the second half of the book display the author's penetrating insight regarding love and the human condition. They are the result of, to borrow a phase from the author, "the maturing of the wine of life."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503521667

Daniel Polsky M.D OBM

Daniel Polsky (1935-2008) was born in New York City, attended CCNY, and received his medical degree from the University of Lieden. He then earned a Bronze Star as a medical officer in Viet Nam. While working as a Family Practice doctor in Brooklyn, New York, he wrote much of his poetry and essays. Aware of the coming of the end of his life from prostate cancer, he asked Don Wilkerson, a psychiatrist friend since his army service to review his poems for publication. We hope that you will find this representative selection of Daniel Polsky's poems, as we his family and friends have, enjoyable, provocative and memorable.

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Copyright © 2009, 2015 by Rebecca V. Taub, Executrix of the Estate of Daniel Polsky.

ISBN:    Softcover      978-1-5035-2167-4

              eBook          978-1-5035-2166-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

All photographs are provided courtesy of the family and friends. Editorial acknowledgment is given to the following: Irving, Carole and David Polsky, Rebecca V. Taub, Laura Bycher, and Dr. Donald Wilkerson

Comments may be sent to Carole H. Polsky, [e-mail]. Thanks to Irving Polsky and Mindy Rothstein for assistance with the layout.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 01/14/2015

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Contents

Contents

List Of Poems

Foreword: My Friend Dan by Don Wilkerson

Remembering Dan by Victoria Lerner Sigal

Poet’s Statement: Daniel Polsky

Poems: Daniel Polsky

Poems in Dutch: Daniel Polsky

Vreemde Landen Van Blauw

Terechtstel Ing In Viet-Nam

Poem: To Doctor Polsky By E.O’Neil, Kingsboro Medical Group, Flatbush, 1997

Photographs:

Award: The Bronze Star Medal To Captain Daniel Polsky Citation By The President

Letter Of Appreciation: L. Bravo, Colonel, C O, 6/04/69 Us Kirk Army Hospital, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005

Letter: Marghererita Rizzo, Touro College, 10/29/1979

Essays I Am Formulating For Myself An Integrative Philosophy.

Essay: Reality Fades . . . by Daniel Polsky

Thoughts Of Being by Daniel Polsky

Obituary: Daniel Polsky, New York Times, 10/26/2008,

Poems: From Danny’s Notebooks

List of Poems

Foreword

MY FRIEND DAN

Dan Polsky and I had been close friends since 1967. Yet, I don’t believe he told me about his poetry writing until about two years before his death from inoperable prostate cancer, in October 2008. From his records, it appears that he submitted two or three poems for publication years ago. He did share some of his poems with Rebeca, his wife, and, earlier, with some close friends. Otherwise, at least to our knowledge, he had generally kept his poetry writing a private endeavor. In November 2007, about nine months after his cancer was diagnosed, he began sending me some of his poems by electronic mail. Perhaps half of the eighteen poems he sent to me over the course of the next eight months, until he became too ill to use his computer, were about death, sadness, fear, and end-of-life goodbyes. Reading them, of course I wondered if they were motivated by his terminal illness. However, Rebeca and Dan’s brother, Irving, believe that most or all were written years earlier. The Old Landlady, for example, was written about his landlady during his medical school time in Holland. Daybreak, also titled Terechtstelling in Viet Nam, in a copy written in Dutch, relates to his Viet Nam War experience and to World War II (see his explanatory notes for this poem). Others, such as Apple Pie, were stimulated by the deaths of friends and, undoubtedly, by his experiences and observations of life.

In our phone calls, Dan expressed strong feelings about his terminal illness, about which we all were feeling very sad and helpless. Often, however, he was objective and stoic or would speak ironically about his grim destiny. The sharing and discussion of the poems, in emails and phone calls between New York City and Salt Lake City, added an extra dimension to our communication. It was like having a shared project and probably helped each of us to have something to think and talk about other than sad and anxious topics and questions about his illness.

The full collection of Dan’s moving and creative poems will present the reader with a variety of themes. The poems allow us to know him better, to appreciate his depth of observation, thought, and sensitivity and his sense of humor. We are fortunate that he left his work for us to read and experience and to help keep our memories of him alive.

Dan and I met in the Army, when we were beginning two years of active duty service as medical officers. After three months together in Texas, we were sent to different assignment locations, later chose different specialties, and always lived in different cities. However, over the years, we had many visits and vacations together, traveling, sightseeing, hiking, camping, playing tennis and other activities. And we got to know each other’s family and friends.

Dan’s life took a very positive turn in June 2001, when he and Rebecca Taub were married and he became a father to their adopted daughter, Annabeth. Marriage and fatherhood suited Dan. I don’t believe I had seen him as content and happy as after their marriage. Those happy years were harshly interrupted by the cancer. Treatment provided reasonable control for about a year and long enough for Dan, Rebeca and Annabeth to have a good vacation in Paris. However, too soon the treatment began failing.

Dan was introspective and intelligent. Although sometimes quite private and reserved, he also could be very conversational, outgoing and playful. He greatly enjoyed time with Annabeth, even when her play would become quite vigorous. He loved life, his family and friends, nature and outdoor activities, the arts and literature. He heartily enjoyed a good drink of whiskey or wine on special occasions. He could overwhelm me with his knowledge of world affairs, history, politics. His sense of humor was keen. He was always looking for ways to turn unpleasant situations, usually his own, into something to laugh about. Incidents involving Annabeth were especially funny to him. For example, he laughed heartily as he told me how, after he had scolded Annabeth, she went to her mother and angrily asked, Why did you marry that man? In phone calls through the years, Dan jokingly called me his psychiatrist (my medical specialty), even though I was often the recipient of his wise counsel and support. Our calls about upsets and frustrations with life often turned into humor and laughter. I expect his many friends and family members could say the same. He loved his practice of family medicine, was diligent about keeping up-to-date, and was confident and proud of his knowledge, diagnostic skills and the care of his patients.

Dan’s loss is deeply felt. He is sorely missed—as husband, father, brother, family member, friend, physician and poet.

Don Wilkerson, M.D. Salt Lake City, Utah, [e-mail]

REMEMBERING DAN

I had the great privilege of meeting Doctor Daniel Polsky in December of 1988. For twenty years, I was one of his many friends. Some had known him much longer than I. Among his many virtues, Dan had the ability to