For Shirley and Christa

A couple of years ago I dreamed Marvin Malone died.The dream was vivid & frightening.He almost single-handedly kept my work alive since 1965.I'd be lost without him.Deeply troubled, I phoned his home.Of course he was OK, & when I reluctantly told him why I called, we briefly discussed our mortality.Later he would write: "I'd like to survive into the 20s with reasonable health & relatively clear brain (genetically very probable).