How to Live Summary

David Lehman's "May 2" is a beat-influenced call to his lover to go with him to Atlantic City, then to Paris in November where "we can be a couple of unknown Americans what are we waiting for let's go." Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson, in "From a Letter to His Daughter," calls upon her to live in the present moment unencumbered by yesterday or tomorrow. Marge Piercy tells what kind of people she likes best in "To be of use" including those who "jump into work head first," who "pull like water buffalo with massive patience," and who "do what has to be done, again and again." One must learn to "Leap Before You Look," according to poet W.H. Auden. "Look if you like," he says, "but you will have to leap." To be whole, one must "Try to Praise...