Thoughts of Being

About the book: The deeply personal poems in the first half of the book are passionate, sincere, and profound, yet whimsical and accessible. Daniel Polsky shines his introspective light as well as his empathy and belief in the power of the human spirit through his 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 essay in the second half of the book display the authors 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." About the Author: Daniel Polsky (1935-2008) was born in New York City and received his medical degree from the University of Leiden, where he began to write poetry and essays. 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, keeping it segret as a private endeavor from most of his friends and family. After dying from prostate cancer, his writings were discovered and published by his family.

Readings from "Thoughts of Being" may be heard on www.youtube.com by going to "Daniel Polsky." Beth La Grange, actress, reads the poems "Soft Voice", "Intoxicated", and the essay "Freedom to be Free."