​GET TO KNOW ME

I’m Herb Munshine. What you'll find on my site are the poems essays and short stories of a teacher and an observer of human behavior.

I have been a secondary school English teacher since 1964. I have taught in Sierra Leone, West Africa and in New Jersey and New York. I have taught for 56+ years -- so far. I have also been a son, a brother, a father, an uncle, a friend and a grandfather. I have taught, mentored and coached. During all that I time, I have been not only a participant but also a coach. I have had interaction with people from Sierra Leone, Greece, Switzerland, France, England, Spain, Guinea, Morocco, Israel, Lebanon, Canada, China, South Korea, Japan, Peru, Mexico, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Scotland, Ireland, Albania, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Australia, Egypt, Italy and Belgium, to name a few places. I am a product of all those experiences. So is my writing.

HERE IS A TASTE OF MY POETRY

ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY! CHECK OUT ALL THE PAGES.

(HINT - Click on one of the words in a title to get the back story related to the poem.)

             IT WILL NOT LAST
We cannot let the deadly virus
Do its thing and then define us.
We must believe that we are strong,
That the pandemic can't belong
To make us suffer in its wake;
Instead, we must -- for Heaven's sake ---
Do what we must, more than survive.
We have to show that we're alive!
We've lived through tragedies and wars
And though it feels our hearts it gores
We will do right and show defiance
And chain ourselves to self-reliance!
We will do more than just get through;
The human spirit we'll renew
And then breathe sighs of true relief
And leave behind our deep-felt grief.
We will move on, as others have;
Our souls will be our comfort salve.

                      I Saw an Eagle Fly Today
​I walked upon the grassy field
And breathed the air so sweet and crisp
When suddenly my sight did yield
A flying figure smooth as a wisp
Of cloud among the heavens high.
It was an eagle soaring so,
Enough to bring from me a sigh,
A wish that I could likewise go
Afloat and glide from place to place
But knowing that I could not soar
I simply quickened my slow pace,
Trying to conform  before
I'd lose sight of that wonderous bird.
But then I stopped and just gave gaze
For it was simply too absurd
To try, and so it truly did amaze
But no way did it even faze
Me for I felt too much of praise.
Bless you, proud eagle, on your flight;
Bless me for having seen that sight!

THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE OF POEM	PAGE FOUND
It Will Not Last	HOME
I Saw an Eagle Fly Today	HOME
Painting as a Muse	FANCY
All by Myself	FANCY
A Poem, Not Much More	FANCY
Free	FANCY
A Study Center Mother's Day	PEOPLE
Dr. A+	PEOPLE
Confess the Stress	PEOPLE
Cry of the Rebel	PEOPLE
Lillian's Sonnet	PEOPLE
Ode to the Levy Leaving	PEOPLE
From Here	IDEAS
1964	IDEAS
The Magnificent Fate of the Lowly Cucumber	HUMOR
Kelly's Cow	HUMOR
Lament of the Exoskeletal Soul	HUMOR
Macdeath	LITERARY WORKS
The Moor is No More	LITERARY WORKS
Life: Ironic, Yet Iconic	IDEAS
Novel Reactions	LITERARY WORKS
Past versus Future	IDEAS
Rhyme Time	PEOPLE
The Queen	PEOPLE
Tomorrow	IDEAS
Too Much Class, or Not Enough	LITERARY WORKS
What a Waste	HUMOR
Ode to a Desolate Desk	HUMOR
Thomas	PEOPLE
Driven	​LITERARY WORKS
Self-Anger	​LITERARY WORKS
Many Days' Journey from the Fight	​LITERARY WORKS
Hansberry Buries Bad Blood	​LITERARY WORKS
To Holden	​LITERARY WORKS
Stradlater Says	​LITERARY WORKS
The Original Mac the Knife	​LITERARY WORKS
The Next Chapter: ​Fahrenheit 451	​LITERARY WORKS
Early 1984	​LITERARY WORKS
Lord, Let Me Fly Away	LITERARY WORKS
Lobster and Blueberries	FANCY
A Temporary Challenge	IDEAS
Complaint of the Rebel	LITERARY WORKS
Nice and Slow	IDEAS
Free	IDEAS
Iambic Non-Prose	IDEAS
The Villa of the Villi	HUMOR
Of Matters of Matter	HUMOR
A House Divided	HUMOR
Past Friends Know No Ends	PEOPLE
A Sad Sonnet	PEOPLE
In Honor of Jayne's Daughter	HUMOR
Say Something	PEOPLE
Do Not Fetch the Wrist-Wretch	FANCY
Roman Charges	FANCY
Jury Duty	FANCY
a - la - ee	FANCY
It's a Rap	FANCY
The Sell - a - bration	FANCY
Home	IDEAS
Therapy	IDEAS
Surprise! (Welcome Home)	IDEAS
Overreacting? I Think Not	PEOPLE
To Nancy	PEOPLE
Simply a Lifetime	PEOPLE
To Karen Our Keren	PEOPLE
Love Song for Two	PEOPLE
Read and Feed	IDEAS
The Life Journey of a Nut	HUMOR
A Crunchy Bunch of Chips	HUMOR
Tom	PEOPLE
The Flock	LITERARY WORKS
My Nose is Running	FANCY
Love and Strength	IDEAS
Darkness	PEOPLE
Once a Teacher . . .	PEOPLE
That Good Night	PEOPLE
Sonnet CLV	HUMOR
The Great Outdoors	HUMOR
My Dog	HUMOR
Writing with Words on a Blowy Evening	FANCY
Shakespeare Works	LITERARY WORKS
The Angels of Our Time	IDEAS
Facetious	HUMOR
The Ballad of the Sea Monster	FANCY
Disposable Society	IDEAS
The Dummy	PEOPLE
Compromise	IDEAS
She Doesn't Understand	PEOPLE
Lark Rise to Candleford	FANCY
Future Cat	PEOPLE
The Way We Think	FANCY
sofaraway	FANCY
Nature Comforts	IDEAS
Peace Corps Volunteer	PEACE CORPS
Pandemic Drive	PEOPLE
The Library	IDEAS
The Early Vote	IDEAS
Fare Well: Requiem for a Warning	LITERARY WORKS
Simple Pleasures	FANCY
COVID-45	PEOPLE
Memories that Sing to Me	PEOPLE
The Mueller Non-Report	FANCY
Song of Longing Fulfilled	PEOPLE
Low Propensity Voter	PEOPLE
Of Blessed Memory	IDEAS
The Store	IDEAS
Amaranth Seeds	FANCY
The Doctor Stopped Me	PEOPLE
Main Character	PEOPLE
Automated Help	HUMOR
Seven Channels	FANCY
Life as it should be	FANCY
The Divided States of America	IDEAS
The Coin	FANCY
Charlie	HUMOR
Estate Sale	FANCY
Interlude	PEOPLE
JOE	PEOPLE
Tranquility	IDEAS
The Stoop	IDEAS
Deliver Me from Deliveries	HUMOR
Missing Mother	PEOPLE
You Learn	IDEAS
2020 Hindsight	IDEAS
Imagine	PEOPLE
Let Me Be Your Voice	IDEAS
I Have No time for Time	IDEAS
My Father's Voice	PEOPLE
No Longer	IDEAS
The Never Dance	PEACE CORPS
High School Graduation is So Sad	FANCY
My Journey is Not Done	FANCY
I'm Taking a Break	HUMOR
Weakdays and the Rest	IDEAS
I Was Fine	PEOPLE
Poet Laureate	LITERARY WORKS
The Poetry of Everyday Things	LITERARY WORKS
In Old Quebec	FANCY
Six Minutes	PEACE CORPS
Trike and Bike	PEOPLE
West Africa Story	PEACE CORPS
I Looked Up and Beyond	FANCY
The Game	PEACE CORP
The Question	PEACE CORPS
Residual Guilt	PEACE CORPS
Personal Knowledge	IDEAS
I Tried to Entertain a Clown	FANCY
There Was an Old Man	PEOPLE
Misdirection	PEOPLE
This Poem is About You!	HUMOR
The Jackson-Dylan Game	HUMOR
I Am Out of Date	IDEAS
She Served	PEACE CORPS
Thanksforgiving	IDEAS
Something Old was New Again	IDEAS
Denial	IDEAS
Vaccination	PEOPLE
Grounded	FANCY
Father	PEOPLE
The Earth Stood Still	FANCY
The Ovation	SHORT STORIES
I Said the Words	PEOPLE
He Knew	SHORT STORIES
The Feeling	FANCY
My Humanity	IDEAS
A Pleasant Drive Spoiled	SHORT STORIES
Questions	IDEAS
So Empty	PEOPLE
Optimism	FANCY
Burial	SHORT STORIES
You Are Ugly	IDEAS
She Has No Voice	PEOPLE
Steppingstone	FANCY
The Family Store - a memoir	SHORT STORIES / PROSE
Germany 1966	PEOPLE
zoommates	PEOPLE
A Pandemic Thanksgiving	IDEAS
Am I Quiet Today?	FANCY
In Heaven	FANCY
Brownie	HUMOR
Gems of Advice to a New Husband	SHORT STORIES / PROSE
Long Island High	SHORT STORIES / PROSE
Derision	IDEAS
Lone Ranger Ring	IDEAS
Mysteries	FANCY
Innocent	LITERARY WORKS
The Woods	IDEAS
Jewelry Store	HUMOR
Port Loko	PEACE CORPS
Day and Night Within Us	IDEAS
In Darkness	PEOPLE
Dog Tags	PEOPLE
A Clear and President Danger	PEOPLE
I Was Shot	HUMOR
Herd Insanity	PEOPLE
The Madame	LITERARY WORKS
The '60's	PEOPLE
I Miss Them	FANCY
A Single Kiss	FANCY
The Sixth	PEOPLE
Fly to the Sky	FANCY
Early Morn	IDEAS
Every Sunday	FANCY
Snow	IDEAS
The Hunter	PEOPLE
False Prophets?	IDEAS
Willow	FANCY
English is Weird	FANCY
Vaccination	PEOPLE
The Elephant	IDEAS
Past is Present	IDEAS
He Built a Wall	PEOPLE
I Learned	FANCY
The Journey to Hell	FANCY
Daughter	PEOPLE
Son	PEOPLE
Grandkids # 1	PEOPLE
Ordinary	IDEAS
Madness	FANCY
Half a Million +	PEOPLE
Brain Forest	FANCY
My Billow Guy	PEOPLE
William's Words	LITERARY WORKS
And the Games Began	SHORT STORIES / PROSE
Sunset is Misunderstood	IDEAS
Caregiver	PEOPLE
Dread	PEOPLE
Santa In His Place	PEACE CORPS
Gift from China	PEOPLE
I Have No Boundaries but My Own	FANCY
Wave Upon Wave	IDEAS
Cracks in the Sidewalk	IDEAS
My Resume	SHORT STORIES / PROSE
I Was Cool	PEOPLE
80	HUMOR
How Goes It?	PEOPLE
In Loco Grandparentis	PEOPLE
Not So Small Victories	HUMOR
Emily and I	FANCY
Pinpoints of Hope	FANCY
Her Own Opinion	IDEAS
Present of the Future	FANCY
There is No Love	IDEAS
Vision Question	FANCY
80	PEOPLE
The Dancer	PEOPLE
The Actor	PEOPLE
The Barber	PEOPLE
The Surgeon	PEOPLE
The Movie-goer	PEOPLE
The Ophthalmologist	PEOPLE
The Poet	PEOPLE
The Politician	PEOPLE
The Veteran	PEOPLE
The Attorney	PEOPLE
The Mailman	PEOPLE
The Unpublished Poet	PEOPLE
Rocks Have Feelings, Too	FANCY
The Musician	PEOPLE
The Gossip	PEOPLE
The Artist	PEOPLE
The Mortician	PEOPLE
The Beloved Teacher	PEOPLE
Henry and Charlie	FANCY
The Old Person	PEOPLE
The Bee-Keeper	PEOPLE
I Miss The Nation	IDEAS
On hearing properly	IDEAS
I Went Shopping Today	IDEAS
Revisiting the Sensuous Store for More	HUMOR
Letters to a Granddaughter at Camp	SHORT STORIES / PROSE
My Masterpiece	HUMOR
Weird	HUMOR
It Isn't Easy	PEOPLE
The Greatest Love	IDEAS
The Young Boy	PEOPLE
A Once Young Boy Remembers	PEOPLE
Family Gathering	PEOPLE
It's Different Now	PEOPLE
The Monkey	PEACE CORPS
Peace Corps Volunteer	PEACE CORPS
I Am a Poet	PEOPLE
Good Golly, Miss Mollie	IDEAS
Anxiety	IDEAS
Life	IDEAS
Automatic	HUMOR
Past Friends Know No Ends	LITERARY WORKS
Bad Seed, Indeed!	LITERARY WORKS
Remembered	IDEAS
Mementos	IDEAS
FantasticLand	FANCY
The Coconut and the Fly	FANCY
Pieces	PEOPLE
"Security is Mortals' Chiefest Enemy"	HUMOR
Dream Life	IDEAS
Ten Minutes	HUMOR
Eyes to the World	HUMOR
A Wish Come True	FANCY
Eulogy for a Bowl	HUMOR
One Hour	PEOPLE
Pool	PEOPLE
Five	PEOPLE
The Real Mountain	IDEAS
A Monstrous Mistake	FANCY
The Flock	IDEAS
The Bagel	HUMOR
He Just Sits	PEOPLE
Simmering Summer Song	IDEAS
My Poem	HUMOR
I have to Write!	PEOPLE
A Snow-Go Sonnet	IDEAS
Proposed Course	HUMOR
One Final Try	FANCY
Bad Spell	FANCY
Distant Lovers	FANCY
Watch Commercials	HUMOR
A Simple Suggestion	IDEAS
The Moment	IDEAS
Big Questions; Small Solutions	HUMOR
Kingdumbs	PEOPLE
Time Runs Out	IDEAS
Fellow Citizens	PEOPLE
Two November Deaths	PEOPLE
The Frost that Warms the Heart	LITERARY WORKS
My Favorite Book	LITERARY WORKS
Words That Describe	HUMOR
When I am Gone	PEOPLE
Olympic Dreams	HUMOR
Eat the Meat	HUMOR
Fleeting	FANCY
It Doesn't Cease to Be	IDEAS
Waiting for the Mail	PEACE CORPS
Summer Punchball	PEOPLE
Waiting Room	HUMOR
The Empty Page	IDEAS
The Plea of the Amoeba	HUMOR
Me	PEOPLE
The Journey To	PEACE CORPS
Salone: Mirrors	PEACE CORPS
The Gift of Silence	IDEAS
The Isolated Umbrella	HUMOR
Two Not of a Kind	HUMOR
They Should Have Been . . . .	PEOPLE
A  Positive	PEOPLE
Lionel Trains	FANCY
The Appearance of the Moon	PEACE CORPS
African Folktale: Sky People	PEACE CORPS
A Fair Exchange	PEACE CORPS
Watching the Radio	IDEAS
Appreciation Day	IDEAS
Broken Trees	PEOPLE
The Wall	IDEAS
Treasure Hunt	IDEAS
Teaching with Omicron	PEOPLE
I Never Knew	IDEAS
Problems: 2021	PEOPLE
Ambidextrous	FANCY
Alone	IDEAS
To See or Not to See	HUMOR
Dukes and Chamberlain	IDEAS
A Single Blade of Grass	IDEAS
I Didn't Cry	IDEAS
Anger	PEOPLE
The Stench of Death	IDEAS
Dear Miss Lottie	LITERARY WORKS
Driver Ants	PEACE CORPS
Banana Tree	PEACE CORPS
Up is Bad	IDEAS
Voices	PEOPLE
Recognition	PEOPLE
They Are	PEOPLE
I Absolve You	IDEAS
Satireday	IDEAS
A Matter of the Mind	PEOPLE
What Do I Do?	IDEAS
Hope	IDEAS
Old	PEOPLE
An Outlet for Our Hearts	IDEAS
Menu	IDEAS
The Orange and Blue	FANCY
Friends	PEOPLE
Mini-Head	HUMOR
Do They Remember?	PEOPLE
Staggered	IDEAS
Designated Hero	FANCY
The Rain	IDEAS
Baseball is Life!	IDEAS
When I Was Young	IDEAS
In 1960	PEOPLE
I Am the Mets	IDEAS
The Broken Man	PEOPLE
The Game	FANCY
The Old Neighborhood	PEOPLE
Not Even Once	HUMOR
Mazeroski Broke My Heart	HUMOR
Raymond	PEOPLE
More Respect	FANCY
The Baseball Camp	PEOPLE
My First Homerun	HUMOR
Game by Game	FANCY
Contrasts and Similarities	PEOPLE
She Plays	PEOPLE
I Live	IDEAS
I Used to Laugh	People
Baseball is in Our Soul	IDEAS
Mantle	PEOPLE
Bill	PEOPLE
Thief!	PEOPLE
The Journey Home	IDEAS
Impressions of the Game	FANCY
The Civil War: New York Against Atlanta	IDEAS
Unexpected Heroes	FANCY
In a Pinch	IDEAS
Baseball, Then and Now	IDEAS
Satch	PEOPLE
Paige	PEOPLE
Broken	HUMOR
Is It Really Over?	PEOPLE
Technophilia	IDEAS
In First Place	FANCY
The Room	IDEAS
Hall of Fame Villanelle	FANCY
I Prefer	PEOPLE
Understanding	PEACE CORPS
1964 (duplicate)	PEACE CORPS
Am I Jewish?	IDEAS
Fear	IDEAS
Living Masterpiece	FANCY
Looking Back	PEACE CORPS
Steppingstone in the Fall	FANCY
Field of Nightmares	HUMOR
Simplicity	IDEAS
Waiting	IDEAS
Interdependence Birthday	FANCY
The Rabbi	PEOPLE
Legacy (guest poem)	PEACE CORPS
A Letter to Steve	PEACE CORPS
The Future is Now	IDEAS
Birds of Play	FANCY
Halloween	IDEAS
Parking Lot	IDEAS
To Be Frank	PEOPLE
The New Room	IDEAS
Zenith	FANCY
Thank You, Sandy	PEOPLE
American Parade	FANCY
Stepping Up to the Plate	FANCY
Another Friend	PEOPLE
Tripods	FANCY
Questionable Call	IDEAS
Disappointment	HUMOR
My Place	IDEAS
Joe for Ted?	FANCY
Old-Timer's Day	FANCY
X Marks the Spot	FANCY
Built to Win Now	FANCY
Yogi	PEOPLE
A Wedding	PEOPLE
The Gift	FANCY
Every Spring	PEOPLE
My Diner	PEOPLE
I Understand / I Don't Understand	IDEAS
Fancy	IDEAS
Kiner	PEOPLE
Snow	FANCY
The Wall	PEACE CORPS
Protector	FANCY
Baimba	PEACE CORPS
Shifty Strategy	IDEAS
Whose Weather is This?	IDEAS
I Thought I Heard my Past	PEOPLE
Baseball is Magnetic	PEOPLE
The Day the Franchise Left	PEOPLE
Waiting Once Again	FANCY
Fifth Grade	PEOPLE
I Once Was a Poet	FANCY
Family Gathering	PEOPLE
The Love in Their Eyes	IDEAS
Snow Day	SHORT STORIES / PROSE
I Wish I Could Stay	IDEAS
The Bases: Home Plate	FANCY
The Bases: First Base	FANCY
The Bases: Second Base	FANCY
The Lonely Diner	PEOPLE
The Bases: Third Base	FANCY
Sisters	PEOPLE
Double-headers	FANCY
Love	PEOPLE
Bleeding Nose	PEOPLE
Touch	PEOPLE
Elusive	PEOPLE
Golden Tears	PEOPLE
Ghost	PEOPLE
Jules Munshin	FANCY
Then and Now	FANCY
Mandala	FANCY
International Pastime	IDEAS
Baseball is Poetry	IDEAS
She Sells	PEOPLE
E Pluribus Unum	IDEAS