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What We Need to Know
Jeffrey Hantover

How much do we need to know
to love the world?
The last major leaguer to hit .400
the name of the fifth Beatle
the Secretary of Commerce
last year’s Best Supporting actress
even what Sartre said to Simone
at the Deux Magot?

It is enough to know
the first sunset on Patmos
that caught you by surprise
around a white-washed corner
the smell of ocean air
floating over concrete and morning traffic
along the Embarcadero
the taste of heirloom tomatoes
sliced thick, drizzled with olive oil
the opening bars of Satchmo’s “Summertime.”
Your daughter’s hand placed in yours
as natural as a rose opening to the sunlight.

—
Jeffrey Hantover is a writer living in New York.

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