Essentials

My friend, and former law professor, Henry Gabriel sent me an out-of-the-blue E-mail the other day asking me a question so poignant that it stopped me in my tracks: "Ernesto," he inquired, "why is it that most of the world's problems can't be solved by simply listening to John Coltrane?"

Of course, I had no good answer to that question. But it reminded me of a William Carlos Williams poem that Henry brought to my attention in law school.

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens.

My question is: why aren't there more law professors like Henry Gabriel?