Poetry Corner: Sheldon Harnick

Who? I hear you ask

I’ll get to Sheldon in a moment. First, I need to tell you about Gerald’s latest adventures.

He’s been going all over the place, doing all sorts of things. He earned his Eagle Scout award, and now that he’s over 18, he’s an Assistant Scoutmaster for his Boy Scout troop. That means he’s taking part in hikes and campouts and things like that, in a leadership role. He went to Germany with his high school German class, and not only did he find the experience enriching, his host family has invited him to come back, for up to a year. He went on tour with the Albuquerque Youth Orchestra to southern Colorado. His school orchestra went on a retreat in northern New Mexico with the orchestras from several other high schools, and then they returned for a spectacular joint concert at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. He attended his high school prom, with a group of friends, in high style thanks to the mother of one of those friends, who sponsored a spectacular prom-night party (we’re still looking forward to getting the photos). And, most importantly, he’s been working with his We The People team, the state champions, to prepare for the national finals in Washington, D.C.

Gerald has developed into his own independent self, with his own independent point of view. He has registered to vote as a Democrat, much to Pat’s disappointment. But he’s also not about to follow any party line blindly. As a member of his school’s We The People team, he has learned to evaluate points of view and form cogent arguments on just about any issue.

This takes me back many years into the past. When we first enrolled Gerald in kindergarten, the Albuquerque Public Schools had (and as far as I know, still have) a policy of evaluating every incoming kindergartner, not just the kid but the kid’s home situation. This evaluation was accomplished by the kindergarten teacher and her assistant visiting the home of each incoming kindergartner and interviewing the parents.

When Gerald’s soon-to-be teacher and her assistant came to visit, he turned on the charm and talked and talked and talked. Early on in the visit, the teacher made the extreme understatement, “He seems to be adequately verbal.”

From then on, whenever Gerald got talkative, especially when interacting with people outside the family, Pat and I would joke that Gerald was being “adequately verbal.”

From the very beginning of his elementary-school career, Gerald was recognized as having special political skills. Joe the crossing guard in front of the school was impressed with Gerald’s skills of socializing and persuasion – he took to calling Gerald “the Judge” or “the Guv’nor.”

In late elementary school and early middle school, Gerald took some acting classes. He had some talent, and he did well. He might have continued, except that he was also dealing with other things, such as orchestra. But he did seem to have a talent for persuasion.

When Gerald arrived in high school, the We The People coaches seem to have had their eye on him. He had a bunch of other things on his agenda, but the WTP people kept in touch with him, and finally, in his senior year, he was able to join WTP. This year, as is usual for Highland High School, the team has won the state competition, and so the team is moving on to the national championship.

This is where I get all gushy and I start to lose it. And that’s not like me. I don’t get gushy. I don’t lose it.

For the first two years of Gerald’s life, I wasn’t capable of emotion. First, I had postpartum depression, and then I had antidepressant medications that guaranteed I wouldn’t feel depression because I wouldn’t feel anything. I quit the meds because of multiple side effects – the totally dead feeling emotionally, the seriously dried-out skin and mouth, the tremors, the visual auras, and the depleted bank account – the medical insurance we had at the time would pay only 50% of “mental” health care, and the drugs were $220 a month, when it was a struggle to pay our $440 a month rent.

Even after I ditched the meds, I don’t know that I was all that great of a parent. I was tired a lot of the time, and so Gerald had to do a lot more work than some of his classmates. I couldn’t tell him exactly how to do his homework – I could give him guidelines, but not instructions.

So now Gerald is all grown up. I think of him, going to Washington, participating in the We The People competition. He’s wearing his suit, and he’s testifying in a Congressional hearing room, and he’s making a strong argument, and he’s … he’s … he’s not a boy, he’s a man.

When did he grow up?

And that leads me to Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist for the musical Fiddler on the Roof. I’m feeling old, and some of that is a good feeling – the younger generation accomplishing something – but some of it is a feeling that I’m now something of the past, and I don’t matter so much any more.

And maybe that’s part of why, even though usually I’m not so emotional, right now I’m torn up.

(Tevye)
Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

(Golde)
I don't remember growing older
When did they?

(Tevye)
When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he get to be so tall?

(Golde)
Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?

(Men)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

(Women)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

(Tevye)
What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?

(Tevye)
Now they must learn from one another
Day by day

(Perchik)
They look so natural together

(Hodel)
Just like two newlyweds should be

(Perchik & Hodel)
Is there a canopy in store for me?

(All)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears