There he is, Alan Powers, at his writing desk, penning his next poem.

Well, not quite. A few changes would be in order: Alan would be sporting slightly different attire, writing with a fountain pen, a few Penguin Classics would be stacked on his desk and the large painting on the wall would be a work by his artist wife Susan Mohl Powers.

Alan was kind enough to send me a copy of Parodies Lost with the inscription: "Hope this will please your high standards." - most generous since, when it comes to poetry, my standards might not qualify as high, not even close. And for a very good reason: I rarely read poetry.

But I did read Parodies Lost (twice) and enjoyed every page; actually, I had great fun reading every page. This to say, if you are like me, you too can have some fun as Alan pokes his parody needle into the side (and sometimes the backside - ouch!) of a number of acclaimed poets.

However, there are three Goodreads reviewers who are poetry lovers with a strong background in poetry. Thus, I feel I can offer a measure of justice to Parodies Lost by lifting quotes from their reviews of Alan's book. Here goes:

Don Gagnon: "I read Alan Power's wonderfully strange and brilliant parody of parodies, “Parodies Lost,” enjoying every moment of comic, fantastic, imaginative, ingenious, playful, and ultimately tragic living and suffering, questing and questioning, dreaming and waking. Each episodic poem, a parody of a different poet, including Maya Angelou, John Ashbery, Emily Dickinson, Bob Dylan, Robert Herrick, Dylan Thomas, Richard Wilbur, and William Shakespeare, describes a distinctive incident in the lives of struggling poet Onagain, his family and friends."

David Lentz: "A genuinely witty and finely wrought poetic work. Masterfully written by an intellect highly attuned to the sense and sensibility of great poetry. A joy to read with many comic allusions to parody the immortals."

kenneth: "The book critiques intellectualism. For instance, in chapter two, Onagain contemplates baseball and verb tenses simultaneously. Humor is pervasive. From the hilarious parodies of poets , such as Maya Angelou, to references to American politics and popular culture."

Now, what I can do is share a few Parodies Lost snips -

He knew - from a picture of Rod McKuen -
of all his race, the poet makes
the saddest face. And next to a hound,
the saddest sound.

For those unacquainted with the sad face and cancerous voice of Rod McKuen reciting his own 60s saccharine poetry, take a listen via this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsmHS9ylReo&t=19s

Further on, Alan parodies other poets, as per:

You can offer me more money
Than plantations ever had,
But I won't take it, honey -
Or maybe just a tad.

You may think that I do nothing
To deserve so high a fee,
But poetry ain't nothing
Even if it's made by me.

Is elocution nothing? No.
Is capitalizing Hope?
Is speaking with machismo
As if I were the Pope?

Besides, I can enunciate
Clearer than a fart -
Hard words like "syphilliticare."
Who says I have no art?

I'll rhyme you till the end of time,
I'll tire you from the stage.
I'll shame you from your ofay rhyme,
I'll hound you in old age.

I'm heir to Billie Holidy
And sister of the true one;
I sing to sing my blues away
But more like Rod McKuen.

----

Go ahead and have some fun, pick up a copy. Thanks again, Alan!


American author, scholar, teacher Alan Powers