Born in New York City and educated at New York University, Purdue University, and the University of Michigan, Irving Miller taught and served as a university administrator at New York University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Akron. He has authored over 80 refereed articles and book chapters in science and engineering, over 200 abstracts and presentations, edited and translated several monographs, and received numerous science and engineering grants and awards. A casual poet for most of my life, he began writing poetry seriously in 1995. His poetry has appeared in journals, collections and chapbooks, and on several websites.
The Rules
The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth – Albert Camus
you cannot play backgammon
if you eat yogurt
you cannot shoot BBs
if you own a watch
you cannot ride a bike
if your name starts with a vowel
you cannot play bridge
if you have red hair
you cannot sing carols
if you can spell quetzalcoatl
you cannot eat corn flakes
if you are an only child
you cannot play the harmonica
if you have an older sister
you cannot feed the pigeons
if you are left-handed
you cannot watch the sunset
if you have freckles on your nose
you cannot read Tolstoy
if you had an appendectomy
do not assume the rules
do not apply to you
they do