i don't know if anyone who reads this blog even cares about poetry, but i think it's a much underappreciated art form in our all too hurried modern world. anyway, andy had this book of humorous poetry that i thought had a fair number of entertaining poems in them that rather reminded me of that "orange" story winnie posted a while back from harper's. this book's called famous americans and is by a fellow named loren goodman. most of the review i wrote for amazon:

something out of the ordinary: humorous poetry. this collection is quite good, although it should be noted that humorous doesn't necessarily mean light. goodman has a knack for unlikely juxtapositions and clearly loves playing with language in the form of non sequiturs and malapropisms. at their best, as in "yeast" which is a play on the poet yeats, the poems' results are strangely moving. a little too often his poetry is simply gimmicky and rather predictable, but it's a nice quick read for some good laughs and chuckles, as well as some moments of true emotion.

here are two samples:

TOUCHDOWN TO COLLEGE!      Playing foot ball tot me to trust my teammates and not only them butt the foot ball itself would not burst into spirals of most delicious heat units                     a thousand cocoa beans

--- From the trials of war that tested our nation's most fundamental ideals, a great leader emerged. He was Robert E. Lee ... a master of military strategy ... a man of great loyalty and faith ... there is no greater love than His. It knows no bounds and is truly everlasting. He was, in the words of Winston Churchill, "remarkably lifelike," and today, cradled safely in grandmother's arms, the ultimate symbol of strength and sustenance. Now this noble American is honored in a magnificent commemorative work, "Andy." "Andy" wants to feed the fawn, but both of them are a little shy. So "Andy" extends his hand very slowly. The fawn turns to look right at him, and then nuzzles his hand gently for the food. "Oooh! His nose tickles!" "Andy" exclaims in delight. You can almost smell the burning leaves on the crisp, clean autumn air as you view this masterpiece of American art. Artful hand-painting makes Robert E. Lee's face radiate with joy. His posable arms, as well as his lower legs, are handcrafted in an endless circle of seven graceful daffodils. The center of his head embraces a sparkling, full-cut diamond. As "Robert E. Lee" ("Andy"), you will have the opportunity to rise from the rugged rock of a crested butte on the horizon. You can almost smell the burning ieaves on the crisp, clean autumn air as you are selected America's most popular artist.