Life, 1923-05-24 · page 12 of 42
Life — May 24, 1923 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains two separate pieces: **Top:** A poem by John V. A. Keats titled "Sayin' Kid" (with a modern vernacular spelling) that references Apollo spacecraft and Chapman, suggesting this dates to the Space Race era. The accompanying chaotic illustration shows a man confused upon waking, uncertain whether an alarm clock, telephone, or door bell disturbed him—a relatable domestic comedy about modern life's competing noises and interruptions. **Bottom:** A sketch captioned "Summer Visitor" depicts isolated coastal fishermen meeting a visitor. The joke mocks the visitor's social isolation during winter: being "cut off from the rest of the world all winter" makes communication with outsiders difficult. It satirizes the loneliness and disconnection of remote seaside living. Both pieces use humor to comment on modern life's disruptions and isolation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Portrait of a man just aroused from a sound sleep trying to decide whether it was the alarm clock, telephone or door bell. Summer Visitor: John V. A. Keats (The Sonnet “On First Looking into Chapman's »” translated into the vernacular of an- youthful bard of our own da note that no essential change has cither in the structure or meaning o, AY, Kid, I guess I've hiked around this whole Dam’ earth, and there ain't nothing I ain't seen Even them islands where the bunk machine Of this here now Apollo copped control, They wised me to one section of my stroll Where cock-eyed Homer bossed the village green; But all the bull he ladled missed me clean Till this bird Chapman knocks me fer a goal, I feels like one o’ these star-gazin’ champs When a new comet bumps ‘em in the jaw; Or old man Cortez, when his buzzard-lamps Piped the Pac and the guys that saw What he saw, rolled their eyes like movie vamps, Dummies, down there somewheres in Panama! Ted Robinson. Just So Some philosopher says we find a certain gratifica tion in the misfortunes of our friends, We don't always do this. Still, they should have managed better. Pretty tough to be cut off from the rest of the world all winter. Native: Just as bad for them. They can’t hear from us either. comicbooks.com