Richard H. Nilsen

Trying to Help People Richard H. Nilsen

From 'Trying to Help People': "Personally, I am on a journey of discovery when I compose a poem. I rarely have a plan or any idea what the finished product will look like. Often a bit of conversation, something I've heard on the radio or read in a newspaper will set me off on that voyage of discovery. ... As far as the title goes, I've always liked the turn of thought from such sayings as, 'No good deed goes unpunished.' Trying to help people is not only an exercise in futility; it is likely to get you in trouble. Yet there are those of us who have the audacity to make the attempt and the effrontery to expect such efforts to be appreciated."