I thought I was finished with science,
but it turned out that science was not finished with me,
I like to say.
So after I finished Toxic Flora, and it was coming out
and I really thought, enough already,
this is getting indulgent.
But as I tell my students, what happens when you tell yourself
not to do something that you have been doing,
and love, in fact, you risk the problem of not writing.
So I felt a little stymied, and just decided, OK, I'm just
going to write about one area.
So there were some interesting articles on neuroscience, which
I didn't know anything about then
and still know nothing about, but loved reading these,
again, New York Times articles on them.
And I gave myself some little formal assignments along
with them, and just decided to play,
which is exactly what one needs to do in that situation.
I should say that before I start reading from Brain Fever--
when Toxic Flora came out, there was
a young man in the audience.
And he came up to me afterwards--
and the book had just come out-- and he
said, "I am an editor, a copy editor,
at The New York Times science section.
And if you'd like to come to one of our meetings,
I could arrange that."
And I thought, oh, yes.
Meet all these gods of science writing--
gods and many goddesses, actually.
These deities of science writing.
So I contacted him, and took my book and went into the subway.
And as I was emerging into Times Square, where
The Times has its building, I just completely
broke out in a sweat.
And I thought, "What are you doing?
You are taking your book and showing it
to people who you've ripped off.
And that is not going to be a fun experience."
But shameless person that I am, I just
kept marching right into their staff meeting.
And I had a good time, I read a couple of poems.
And I did say that in the back of Toxic Flora,
that I cite every article that I have used.
So it was very reassuring and amusing
when I passed the book around, that they all
were trying to see if I had used their material.
[LAUGHTER]
So that felt good.
And it gave me inspiration to-- or it
encouraged me to go right back to The Times--
and, well, I did.
So I'm going to read first, a few poems from a sequence
where I use dream theory.
And I just decided to choose an object
and imagine dreaming about it, and really
just use a lot of associations-- which I talked about
today to a group of medical students, which is really fun,
of all things.
The Dream of a Little Occupied Japan Doll.
"Among the hundred porcelain figurines,
the first one with slanted eyes, fat cheeks,
queue, though that's Chinese, and Chinese bonnet
is my favorite.
Among all those in pajamas, or gowns, or the two in kimono,
the first is my favorite.
Of those with rickshaw, tambourine, or parasol and fan,
I keep on my desk the first one, though she--
or he-- is not doing a darn thing.
Here in sleep, rivalry is reserved.
And as dreams tune the mind for conscious awareness,
perhaps this favoritism suggests I've quit hoarding and now
collect myself."