Tribute to My Friend, Co-Author & "Older Brother"-- Carmel Poet Laureate & Cancer Fighter, Ric Masten Who Died May 9th, 2008, from Dr. Larry Lachman
A Young Man/An Old Man
I first met Ric Masten on Wednesday, May 1, 2002, at a meeting of the Prostate Cancer Self-
Help Group of the Central Coast, which was organized by facilitator Paul Soifer and held at the
Hospice House in Monterey, California. I was invited to be the lead speaker addressing the
emotional and psychological challenges men face when they are diagnosed and treated for
prostate cancer.
On the podium, Ric and I were seated by one another. And of course, for those of you who
know either Ric or me, that's like putting together two 10th graders who can't stop talking
in the back of the classroom. Throughout the evening we whispered back and forth, gently
elbowed one another, and traded mischievous but well intentioned humorous winks while the
other panelists were speaking. From that night on, Ric and I became friends, journeymen if you
will, fellow explorers on this journey we call cancer.
Ric was diagnosed four years ago at the age of 69 with an aggressive form of prostate cancer
that had already spread. I was diagnosed six years ago at the age of 39 with an early stage
prostate cancer that was still confined to the gland. Ric has had surgery, radiation and now
chemotherapy. I have had only surgery. Ric is a poet/philosopher who sets his sights squarely
on the passionate, subjective, and creative parts of people and life in general. I am a clinical
psychologist who aims squarely at the dispassionate, objective, logical/coping parts of people
and their inner lives. As you can see, Ric and I have found that we complement one another like
glove and hand (a little urologist humor here).
On a person-to-person microcosmic level, we seem to reflect the larger macrocosmic balance of
energy, often referred to as Yin and Yang. It was because of this complementary relationship--
the "old" man/"young" man, cancer that has spread/cancer that is contained, one writing with
heart-focus/one writing with head-focus—that Ric and I began to dialogue (what I call brain-
jam mind/melds) and before you knew it, we were like two revved up locomotives on parallel
tracks—parallel journeys if you will—telling our respective cancer stories in our own ways.
Read Ric’s poem: “End Line”
Read Larry Lachman's tribute poem: “My Older Brother Ric Masten”
A Young Man/An Old Man
I first met Ric Masten on Wednesday, May 1, 2002, at a meeting of the Prostate Cancer Self-
Help Group of the Central Coast, which was organized by facilitator Paul Soifer and held at the
Hospice House in Monterey, California. I was invited to be the lead speaker addressing the
emotional and psychological challenges men face when they are diagnosed and treated for
prostate cancer.
On the podium, Ric and I were seated by one another. And of course, for those of you who
know either Ric or me, that's like putting together two 10th graders who can't stop talking
in the back of the classroom. Throughout the evening we whispered back and forth, gently
elbowed one another, and traded mischievous but well intentioned humorous winks while the
other panelists were speaking. From that night on, Ric and I became friends, journeymen if you
will, fellow explorers on this journey we call cancer.
Ric was diagnosed four years ago at the age of 69 with an aggressive form of prostate cancer
that had already spread. I was diagnosed six years ago at the age of 39 with an early stage
prostate cancer that was still confined to the gland. Ric has had surgery, radiation and now
chemotherapy. I have had only surgery. Ric is a poet/philosopher who sets his sights squarely
on the passionate, subjective, and creative parts of people and life in general. I am a clinical
psychologist who aims squarely at the dispassionate, objective, logical/coping parts of people
and their inner lives. As you can see, Ric and I have found that we complement one another like
glove and hand (a little urologist humor here).
On a person-to-person microcosmic level, we seem to reflect the larger macrocosmic balance of
energy, often referred to as Yin and Yang. It was because of this complementary relationship--
the "old" man/"young" man, cancer that has spread/cancer that is contained, one writing with
heart-focus/one writing with head-focus—that Ric and I began to dialogue (what I call brain-
jam mind/melds) and before you knew it, we were like two revved up locomotives on parallel
tracks—parallel journeys if you will—telling our respective cancer stories in our own ways.
Read Ric’s poem: “End Line”
Read Larry Lachman's tribute poem: “My Older Brother Ric Masten”
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