expression is the need of my souli was once a vers libre bardbut i died and my soul went into the body of a cockroachit has given me a new outlook upon lifei see things from the under side now
. . . .
don’t you ever eat any sandwiches in your officehavent had a crumb of bread for i dont know how longor a piece of ham or anything but apple paringsand paste leave a piece of paper in your machineevery night you can call me archy
excerpted from “the coming of archy” by Don Marquis, 1927
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.)
there is alwayssomething to be thankfulfor you would notthink that a cockroachhad much groundfor optimismbut as the fishing seasonopens up i growmore and morecheerful at the thoughtthat nobody ever gotthe notion of usingcockroaches as baitexcerpted from “certain maxims of archy” by Don Marquis, 1927
man eats the big fishthe big fish eat thelittle fishthe little fisheat insectsin the waterthe water insectseat the water plantsthe water plantseat mudmud eats manmy favorite poemis the same asabraham lincolnso why should the spiritawaiting your answeri am and so forth“My Favorite Poem,” from Archy & Mehitabel by Don Marquis, 1927.
thank your friends for me forall their good advice about how towork your typewriter but what i havealways claimed is that manners and methodsare not great matter comparedwith thoughts in poetry you cant hidegems of thought so they wont flashon the world on the other hand if you pressagent poor stuff that wont make it livemy ego will express itself in spite ofall mechanical obstacles having somethingto say is the thing being sincerecounts for more than forms of expression thanksfor 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!
Oh, Marian, I totally love archy and mehitabel. My favorite part is warty bliggens the toad.
ReplyDeleteI used to want to be a vers libre bard like archy but I was too big to jump off the top of the typewriter and land on the keys with my head.
Fabulous fabulous choice!
K
Oh THANK YOU for reminding me of these old friends! American Classics!
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° > <3
Me again. Here's the link to warty bliggens, one of the best things I've ever read, ever.
ReplyDeletehttp://donmarquis.com/warty-bliggens-the-toad
O! I, too, read and loved "A and M." I had forgotten. This calls for a visit to the library and a reread. I wonder what happened to my copies?
ReplyDeleteHehehe! Humorist is a label I like. In my somewhat later world of the forties/fifties onwards, rather than the twenties, I do believe 'The Compleet Molesworth' by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle, had a similar effect on my psyche as I was growing up. Sadly, Molesworth can't spell... I may have to introduce him to Blogland in much the same way as you have introduced Archy. :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Thank you Marian. I've never read very much, but it feels right up my alley. K.
ReplyDeleteThis is Manicddaily by the way. Http://Manicddaily.wordpress.com. On mobile devices blogger wants me to use blogger id. K.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me very happy. :)
ReplyDeleteI have that same volume of Archy and Mehitable. I'm sure Marquis influenced my Kitty Poems, spoken in the voice of my late cat Missy the Black. As she has just whispered in my ear, "That Don Markwis sure done good wif wordle and such... but he gave that helldamn cockaroacha all the KWALITY lines. We know kittis so much smarter and more refeened than bugs, what the fork?"
ReplyDeleteJust before I logged on, I killed a giant cockroach that had dared to enter my personal creative space. Now I shudder to think it may have been a relative of Archie's, scuttling away on my return after banging out poetic thought on my PC!
ReplyDeleteLove this choice, Marian. Such a fascinating concept, and doesn't this just say it all about poets?
my ego will express itself in spite of
all mechanical obstacles
it really does say it all. love, love.
ReplyDeletealso love warty the toad, too, Kay! xo
I loved Archy and Mehitabel since I was first introduced to them in high school. I wonder if Archy would find it easier to use a computer than one of those old-fashioned typewriters (which some of us DO remember...LOL). My favorite is the one about a moth flying into a light-bulb. I love the wisdom simply expressed!
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed this post AND all the wonderfully quirky comments. I do see his influence on your writing, Marian. This was a wonderful favo(u)rite!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this Marian ~ Thank you for introducing him to me ~ And I agree, I do see a bit of his style on your writing ~
ReplyDeleteHappy day to all ~
I want to write some cockroach poetry too. Anyone else up for it?? If so please share next Monday on Open Link!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful this series is proving to be!! I love meeting new-to-me- poets! Thank you, Marian for bringing us your favo(u)rite! :)
ReplyDeletei will, Kerry!
ReplyDeleteyou know, we shoulda thought about including a challenge as part of our favo(u)rite poems posts.
okay, challenge: cockroach poems or as i have always thought of it, observations from the under side.
Wow he did influence your style!
ReplyDeleteHow magical his poems are...I love this~
I will write cockroach poetry!
Next Monday!
Thank you Marian
@>----------
Hey! Don''t forget Mehitabel...she's the reincarnation (reinCATnation?) of Cleopatra, you know!
ReplyDeleteI love Archy and Mehitabel!!! I found the book in a used book store just ages ago, back in the 80s. I loved it then and love it still, and, like you, certain phrases stuck in my head forever. I love when Archy address a mummy as "your royal dryness".
I gave this book to my then-15 yr old niece, thinking she'd love it, and my (much older) brother made her give it back as "unsuitable". Insert huge eye roll HERE.
PS--I LOVE when Amy does the cat tawk.
ReplyDeletePPS--yes, Kerry is right, let's all do archy poems next Monday!
My personal favorite Marquis poem is "freddy the rat perishes." Marquis is a woefully underrated and underappreciated writer. A lot of lazy critics, focusing on the cockroach/alley cat angle, lump him in with second-rate dialect and novelty writers like James Whitcomb Riley and Robert Service, and he's head and shoulders above them.
ReplyDeleteexcellent choice, some one I am not familiar with, but will soon acquaint myself. Viva la
ReplyDeletethe death of the rat is extremely memorable, yes, indeed.
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled that this feature is inspiring our writing without the pressure of a challenge or prompt. I have not yet thought of my insect-angle but I do want to try some archy style poetry.
ReplyDelete