Gerard Sarnat

Author: Gerard Sarnat

Gerard Sarnat MD received his education at Harvard and Stanford. He established and staffed clinics for the disenfranchised, has been a CEO of healthcare organizations, and was a Stanford professor. He and his wife of forty-five years have three children and two grandchildren with more on the way, and live in the room above their oldest daughter’s garage. Gerry is the author of three critically acclaimed collections: HOMELESS CHRONICLES from Abraham to Burning Man (2010), Disputes (2012), and 17s (2014) in which each poem, stanza or line has 17 syllables. For Huffington Post reviews, reading dates including Stanford, publications and more, visit GerardSarnat.com. His books are available at select bookstores and on Amazon. Gerard has been featured this year as Songs of Eretz Poetry Review’s Poet of the Week with one of his poems appearing daily. Dr. Sarnat is the second poet ever to be so honored.

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
— William Blake

Mom says auburn kid was born an animal she can’t
handle (but not bad) with tiger T-shirts on
first birthday and arrival of first baby to prove it.

My little sister got earth-tone puppies or kittens
but Pops insisted as their firstborn son
his room needed to be toughen up burnt orange.

With that as our Blakean beginning, I learned
how to fear and loathe my father Bernard
which carried over hunting Bernie until you died.

Then our surprise: after there was no breath —
so relieved, finally – Papa’s blue eyes
opened then looked more radiant than any sky.