Friday, April 4, 2014
The summer of 1967 I walked into an East Lansing bookstore and spied Mike with his nose in the book Naked Lunch. Mike sprang instantly into "teaching mode," and said I needed to experience great writing as spoken word. In full throat and with the enthusiasm he displayed in the classroom, Mike read the part of Burroughs' book that starts: "Did I ever tell you about the man...." I turned bright crimson and prayed for invisibility. My eyes darted about for an exit, but I was trapped between his tall frame and a corner of books. What did I know? Today you can watch latter day hipsters at Poetry Slams doing exactly what Mike did in the classroom and in that bookstore forty seven years ago. Mike was an innovative and brilliant teacher, and a completely unforgettable man. Farewell old mentor - a sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
Bruce Miller
Grand Ledge, MI
