Did We Just Become Best Friends?

     Paul Muldoon is considered a celebrity amongst poets. He is a professor of poetry at Princeton University, and was the Editor of Poetry at The New Yorker Magazine. Last night, I was privileged enough to hear him read a handful of his poems. He read a couple that I knew, including "Cuba," "Anseo," and "Meeting the British;" he also read a few that caught my attention, including a song that he'd written.

     I'm not quite sure, but I believe the song was titled "Comeback," and was about a musician longing for an old lover. In this song, Muldoon mentioned Bruce Springsteen and the Stone Pony, two things very close to my heart. As a Jersey boy, I've spent many nights inside and outside the Stone Pony, which is a small music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey. This monument is also famous for being the birthplace of Bruce Springsteen's career. I myself have mentioned "The Pony" in songs of my own, and was ecstatic when Muldoon mentioned it.
     If given the chance, I don't think I would have asked Muldoon any specific question. Instead, I would have attempted to converse with him. He is a native of the County Armagh, my family's original home in Ireland. I would have loved to speak with him about whether or not he knew any of my uncountable family members, and then about his knowledge of and experience at the Stone Pony. God knows there are infinite stories from the Pony, and I'm sure Muldoon has a few good ones.