Saturday, April 20, 2013

The cruelest month: You might as well live


We couldn’t get through National Poetry Month without a bit of bite. In case there's any question, I’m talking Dorothy Parker.

In Parker we see crystallized the concept that poems pack a lot of punch in just a few words. I love her stuff, and here are two I can recite all on my own.

Resumé

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.

Comment

Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Roumania.

I've been known to declare myself, sotto voce, Marie of Roumania in more than one project meeting.

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