Life — March 28, 1918 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine: "Verboten" (Forbidden) in Germany This page presents a satirical poem titled "Verboten Life in Germany: The Tale of an Erstwhile Pest," attributed to Kenneth L. Roberts. The poem describes a mischievous boy—a neighborhood nuisance who breaks windows, steals cherries, and causes trouble—who mysteriously reforms overnight after "war-smoke came," suggesting he was conscripted into military service and sent to France. The accompanying illustration shows three well-dressed adults in conversation, with the caption "WHAT DID SHE MEAN?" followed by "YOUR HUSBAND, MADAM, HAS JUST BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MERCIFUL HEAVENS!" The satire appears to mock German military discipline and suggests that war—or even divine intervention—could reform troublemakers. The poem's tone is darkly humorous about conscription's transformative effects on unruly youth.