Antisocial Lispers

Piece on Terry Gross this morning, with some comedian (Colin Quinn?) who mentioned that comics don't socialize well and basically hate each other. I wonder if that applies to Lisp hackers...in the sense that they (like comics) are smart and somewhat twisted in their idiosyncractic way. This is why they like Lisp, and why they don't cooperate all that well. Programmers in Java etc are more normal, socializable, etc. Cats vs. dogs.

If I can think of it, it isn't what I want

A Sick Child

Randell Jarrell, 1969

The postman comes when I am still in bed.
"Postman, what do you have for me today?"
I say to him. (But really I'm in bed.)
Then he says - what shall I have him say?

"This letter says that you are president
Of - this word here; it's a republic."
Tell them I can't answer right away.
"It's your duty." No, I'd rather just be sick.

Then he tells me there are letters saying everything
That I can think of that I want for them to say.
I say, "Well, thank you very much. Good-bye."
He is ashamed, and turns and walks away.

If I can think of it, it isn't what I want.
I want . . . I want a ship from some near star
To land in the yard, and beings to come out
And think to me: "So this is where you are!

Come." Except that they won't do,
I thought of them. . . . And yet somewhere there must be
Something that's different from everything.
All that I've never thought of - think of me!