Life, 1923-02-22 · page 5 of 36
Life — February 22, 1923 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a poem by J.K.M. mocking romantic courtship in the modern era. The poet sarcastically addresses a "modern lady," suggesting that traditional romantic gestures—reading poetry, moonlit walks, literary allusions—have become obsolete. He questions how one can court a woman when "metaphors are going out of style" and "marriage is a thing of mathematics." The accompanying sketch shows a woman standing confidently while a man reclines on a bed, seemingly indifferent. The caption—"I don't care much for men, but I do perfectly adore to watch their reactions"—reinforces the satire: the modern woman is emotionally detached and amused by male behavior rather than moved by romance. The piece satirizes both changing gender dynamics and the perceived decline of romantic sentiment in contemporary society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Poet to a Modern Lady F I should say to you that reeds a-piping When dawn sets sail upon its daily travel Their soft, seductive notes in forest glades And I from golden imageries awake, Wake amorous delusions that delight man, My dreams I hide because you would malign them. Their plaintive wailings treacherously striking I dare not all my tender thoughts unravel— The. heart with fair imaginings of maids, The fluffy mass you'd scatter with a rake— , You'd answer, “Yes, I’ve heard it played by White- You'd psychoanalyze and then define them. man. If, walking when the silver disc of longing Oh, how, I wonder, how must I pursue you, Its Druid spell is casting from the sky, When metaphors are going out of style { said, “Cold lovers’ light that ever lures them And similes are stored away in attics? To jreamings that can end alone in wronging What method must I formulate to woo you, And hurts that make it beautiful to die,” When courtship’s filled with scientific guile You'd whisper, “Ah, but old Doc Coué cures them.” And marriage is a thing of mathematics? J.K.M. “I don’t care much for men, but I do perfectly adore to watch their reactions.” comicbooks.com