In The Citadel Of A Victorious Mind Poem by Charles Chaim Wax

As I chatted with Frank Freeborn on the Pier
I heard, “Bernstein, you old flabbergastor.”
I’d know that voice anywhere, Melvin Losy
taught English at Spinoza HS for eight years
then never returned one September
a writer, and had added “Von” to his name
and only produced manuscripts in long hand,
refusing the typewriter
unfortunately, his script was well nigh unintelligible.
“Nathan’s, ” said Freeborn, “There’s a chill in the air
and by the way, Bernstein, who’s your pal.”
“Melvin Von Losy, author.”
“What’d you write? ” asked Freeborn.
“The Ascension of Wladyslaw Mierzwinski, Tightrope Walker.”
Nellie showed up.
“This is Melvin Von Losy, author, ” I said.
“So you’re the great man! ” she said lunging at Losy
pressing her luscious wet lips against his
arms around him tightly,
finally the tears flowing.
“After reading about Mierzwinski’s escape from the Abyss
I left the tormented life of a street walker
and transformed into a psychiatric specialist
healing humanity’s wounds
and what a gorgeous cover, clouds floating across a blue sky
and stretched across the clouds
a thick steel wire
and on that wire were feet,
feet only,
the famous and fabulous feet of Wladyslaw Mierzwinski.”
“How do you like that! ” said Losy, then paused
breathed deeply staring into Nellie’s eyes
at last saying, “Dan Dudek! ”
“A fine teacher, ” I said, “but only ate apples,
never could figure that out,
nor why his classes were silent, from bell to bell.”
“Hypnosis, ” said Losy.
“Of course he didn’t want to apply his fabulous powers
but, like the rest of us,
he soon found out teaching wild kids wasn’t a picnic,
took me up to his space ship one day,
that’s where I wrote Tightrope,
rejected by eighteen publishers, but Dan Dudek
smiled saying Not to worry, Melvin, your words are too valuable
not to be read by humans.”
Freeborn said calmly, “I always wondered about intelligent life out there, but...”
Losy cut him off proclaiming proudly, “Dan Dudek was a writer, like me.”
Continuing Freeborn said, “Pick up any books from his starry home
cause I’d like to read what a mind
not of this earth
contemplates.”