A Brief Treatise on Etymology

If someone tells you that your poem is nostalgic,

take it as a compliment. There's no greater

praise. In Greek, nostos means "return" and

algia "pain." What's a poem without the return

of pain? If they tell you that your poem is

melancholic, take that as a compliment, too. In

Greek, melan means "black" and khole "bile."

What's a poem without the most pernicious disorder

of the body and soul? Pain and illness. If your

poem is nostalgic and melancholic, see a doctor.