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harry shaw loves reading poems to school children in washington heights. he told me on several occasions that the kids especially like edgar allan poe. so i told harry about a guy i met in a bar on first avenue a few years back. said guy said he felt like a guest in a world until he stumbled across the conqueror worm. he finally found someone going through what he was going through, and didn't feel alone in the world anymore. said guy was so enamored he stole the book from the school library. you didn't hear me say that. i told harry the story of said guy and harry was enamored too; an edgar allan poe poem had changed a young man's life. so harry proceeded to i) memorize the poem and ii) recite it to me every time we ran into each other in the streets of the e. village. one day i went to harry's apartment and asked him if i could record him for posterity. he said yes. i love harry. he puts poetry in the air, around kids. and i'm sure many of them will never forget him.
