Fool's errand

Because I've been brooding for weeks over whether I'll be eternally remembered as the Faculty Chair responsible for the Great Big Ballot Boondoggle,

and because despite my best efforts I can't seem to prevent new projects from being dumped on my desk, all due the week I intend to go to Texas for my son's college commencement,

and because a well-intentioned attempt to help a colleague solve a problem resulted in a major misunderstanding that resists resolution,

and because last night I watched an old episode of Bones that vividly portrayed the speaking-truth-to-power role of the court jester,

and because I lost track of time this morning and kept my literature class going five minutes too long and would have kept babbling on forever if someone hadn't pointed out the time,

and because the class started with video of Billy Collins reading his poem "The Lanyard," which never fails to make me want to laugh and cry and talk about summer camp and Proust and poetry all at once until it all comes tumbling out together,

and because I followed up by reading out loud Denise Levertov's poem "Man Wearing Bird" with its memorable image of the insane man "upholding mystery" before the passing gawkers

("This is my pigeon / and I its prophet")

and because "upholding mystery" describes, in a nutshell, the task of the poet and the prophet and the Holy Fool and yes maybe even the English professor,

and because Scott Adams of Dilbert fame writes in the Wall Street Journal that teaching history and literature and calculus to B students is "like trying to train your cat to do your taxes—a waste of time and money" (read it here),

and because if I keep standing here upholding mystery a little longer maybe someone will come along and prop up my arms,

it's a really good day to be a Fool.