Life, 1922-11-02 · page 26 of 40
Life — November 2, 1922 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page parodies five prominent American poets by attributing fabricated poems to them, exaggerating their distinctive literary styles to absurd effect. **Sara Teasdale's parody** mocks her romantic, introspective verse with repetitive "Sara" references. **Vachel Lindsay's** mimics his loud, onomatopoetic style ("bingeringa," "BOOM!") about urban chaos. **Edna St. Vincent Millay's** parodies her dramatic exclamations and passionate intensity ("O World! O Life! O Love!"). **Edwin Arlington Robinson's** presents a somber narrative about an ordinary man's death, capturing Robinson's serious, philosophical tone. **Carl Sandburg's** satirizes his free verse about working-class American life, depicting drunken vagabondage across industrial cities. The cartoon above shows two women discussing long skirts—a topical 1920s fashion controversy—with the punchline suggesting one woman objects to how long the skirt actually is. The satire works through exaggerated imitation, making each poet's characteristic techniques seem ridiculous when applied to trivial subjects.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
24 Rescued from Obscurity Five Unpublished Poems Believed to Have Been Written by Five Eminent American Poets. Me Probably Written by Sara Teasdale Wuen April trips across the world And brings blue days and fair, I pick apart my woman-soul And find but Sara there. Then in disgust I turn away To touch my lover’s hand, And make my dainty wordlets dance Their tinkling Sara-band! Dithyrambo Possibly Written by Vachel Lindsay Bincerinea, bingeringa, bingeringa, clang! Here come henries in a big black gang! Boomalinga, crock-crack ! ° Here comes a trolley on a one-way track ! Street-car motorman talking to a jane— Flivver drivers all have flapper on the brain. OH, what a mess, now! OH, what a doom! Look out! Look out! Rattle—clang —BOOM! boomalinga, crick- I Burn! Perhaps Written. by Edna St. Vincent‘ Millay O World! O Life!.O Love! O Death! O Passion, sharpening every sense! A sunrise renders me Intense, And moonshine makes me hold my breath! So, drenched with moist, wet April rains, I clutch and kiss the lovely earth, And feel myself grow tall with mirth Because my pains! soul has growing Henry Brown Perchance Written by Edwin Arlington Robinson Wuen Henry shaved and came to town We thought him every inch a king. His derby, coat and shoes were brown; He wore a large Masonic ring. “I have only one objection to the long skirt.” “What?” “The length of it.” He was an ornament of ours— His spitting was a thing divine. Such splendid salivary powers Are neither yours, my friend, nor mine. And then, one day, he strangely died. Ah, how inscrutable is Fate !— And left his neighbors to decide How tempora perambulate. And now he spits from star to star, While we, the louts of Tidbury Town, Cannot, though we aim sure and far, Expectorate like Henry Brown! Sumach and Slip Away Which May Have Been Written by Carl Sandburg In Kansas City, Missouri, I slipped up on a big Swede who toted a bottle —nicked him from behind with a cold chisel—plunk !—and got a smile or two. You can't tell—over the hills are new tricks for a dusty throat to learn— In Peoria—Omaha—Terre Haute I had a thirst and a dollar—friends came by—times change, and only the gutters are the same—you can't tell —never—nohow— Decatur has a couple of quarts and Grand Rapids knows a few—eight a pint is a lot of money, but the nights are long and dry—bottles—cellars— cellars—bottles—over and over, the old song. How do they do it? I saw a man take a flop and never get up—clang! went the wagon, and away he went In the meantime, pardner—have you?—can you?— How do they do it?—sh!—I don't know—come around again—maybe I'll tell you—some other time! comicbooks.com