‘One of the things that is very much on my mind is Alzheimer’s and dementia, so I’m trying very hard to use my mind and have a purpose in life.’

Herb Munshine, Great Neck

“It’s like sunshine with an ‘M,’ I always used to tell my students. I taught high school English for 58 years, the first two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa, then 30 years in the Bronx, seven years in Queens, the last 19 years at Great Neck South High School. I retired 22 months ago; that’s when I started getting serious about writing.

“One of the things that is very much on my mind is Alzheimer’s and dementia, so I’m trying very hard to use my mind and have a purpose in life. That explains why I write poetry and essays. I have been published in magazines and Newsday, as well as a site that specializes in poetry about baseball. At this point they have published 79 of my poems, and they’re considering two more. About two weeks ago, the editors voted me into their hall of fame. There are about 250 poets on this site, and I’m the fifth person put into their hall of fame.

I have a lot of poems about seeing life from the point of view of someone who’s 82, lessons I’ve learned, opinions I have.

“I’m not looking to make any money; I’m looking for my views to get recognized. I write on a variety of topics. One of my favorites is baseball, since that’s one of the things I’m most successful at. I have another section where I write poems about my two years in Sierra Leone. That always brings back fond memories. I have a lot of poems about seeing life from the point of view of someone who’s 82, lessons I’ve learned, opinions I have.

“Originally this website began as something I was writing for my grandchildren, so after I’m gone — and I don’t plan on being gone soon — they would have something to look at that would tell them more about me. Grandchildren don’t think about their grandparents as kids, so they don’t know about a lot, like how I tried out for the New York Yankees as an ambidextrous pitcher — I didn’t make it. But they’re not going to know that unless I write about it. It’s anything I think they can learn about me. I want to be engaged. I want to be thinking about things. I want to involve myself in as many things as possible.”

Interviewed by Barbara Schuler