A Toad's Favo(u)rite: Archy & Mehitabel

expression is the need of my soul

i was once a vers libre bard

but i died and my soul went into the body of a cockroach

it has given me a new outlook upon life

i see things from the under side now

. . . .

don’t you ever eat any sandwiches in your office

havent had a crumb of bread for i dont know how long

or a piece of ham or anything but apple parings

and paste leave a piece of paper in your machine

every night you can call me archy

excerpted from “the coming of archy” by Don Marquis, 1927

Don Marquis, Archy & Mehitabel. An enormous influence on young (and present-day) Marian. As may be apparent to anyone who reads my writing. Ahem.

I discovered Archy & Mehitabel in a magazine in my young teens, and eventually found a copy of the 1927 book. I read it backward and forward, enthralled with Archy’s view from the under side. I memorized whole sections, dropping lines from Archy in casual conversation ("leave a sheet of paper, you can call me by my real name," "transmigration is the game!").

E. B. White (another important influence, naturally) objected to the use of the word “humorist” to describe Don Marquis:

“Archy and Mehitabel” is, to my  mind, a distinguished work in American letters, and whether it is a classic or not, it doesn’t deserve the adjective “minor.” There is not a minor word in it. (From Letters of E. B. White, New York, Harper & Row, 1976.)

Read more about Don Marquis here.

there is always

something to be thankful

for you would not

think that a cockroach

had much ground

for optimism

but as the fishing season

opens up i grow

more and more

cheerful at the thought

that nobody ever got

the notion of using

cockroaches as bait

excerpted from “certain maxims of archy” by Don Marquis, 1927

man eats the big fish

the big fish eat the

little fish

the little fish

eat insects

in the water

the water insects

eat the water plants

the water plants

eat mud

mud eats man

my favorite poem

is the same as

abraham lincolns

o why should the spirit

of mortal be proud

awaiting your answer

i am and so forth

“My Favorite Poem,” from Archy & Mehitabel by Don Marquis, 1927.

thank your friends for me for

all their good advice about how to

work your typewriter but what i have

always claimed is that manners and methods

are not great matter compared

with thoughts in poetry you cant hide

gems of thought so they wont flash

on the world on the other hand if you press

agent poor stuff that wont make it live

my ego will express itself in spite of

all mechanical obstacles having something

to say is the thing being sincere

counts for more than forms of expression thanks

for the doughnuts

“Something to Say,” from Archy & Mehitabel by Don Marquis, 1927. 

This has been my rule for writing and expression since I first read Archy’s words as a teenager.

If you are unfamiliar with Archy & Mehitabel--and if even if you are!--I encourage you to browse around on the Don Marquis site and get to know his writing. Enjoy!