Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis (Faber)

I read about this book somewhere, and now wish I could remember where it was as it was such a remarkable little read. i've read numerous pieces of it aloud to whoever would listen, such is its cleverness. Written as free verse through the eyes of Archy the cockroach and Mehitabel the cat, with many other creatures included. I particularly loved the lesson of the moth. "We get bored with the routine / and crave beauty / and excitement / fire is beautiful / and we know that if we get  / too close it will kill us / but what dos that matter / it is better to be happy / for a moment / and be burned up with beauty / than to live a long time / and be bored all the while."
Lessons in life, new ways of looking at the world, a little gem.