Comments on: remarkable newness http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2007/10/remarkable-newness/ Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:40:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Don Share http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2007/10/remarkable-newness/#comment-23191 Don Share Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:14:05 +0000 http://pf/harriet/?p=421#comment-23191 Three new poems by Sandra can be found in the summer '09 issue of <i>Poetry</i>, and read online here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=111248 Three new poems by Sandra can be found in the summer ’09 issue of Poetry, and read online here:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=111248
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]]> By: James Jones http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2007/10/remarkable-newness/#comment-23118 James Jones Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:51:27 +0000 http://pf/harriet/?p=421#comment-23118 Ah yes... those wonderful Reader's Digest articles. In the particular case of "I am Joe's thymus", it perhaps merits mention that a short-lived avant-garde band from Norman, Oklahoma named "The Memluks" featured a song inspired by those articles, "Joe's Thymus," on their first (and possibly, alas, only) album, _Partida_. The first verse, as best I can remember: I am Joe's thymus, And I'm the leader of Joe's defensive team. Just because Joe is a typical forty-seven year old white American male Doesn't mean he doesn't need protection, And I protect Joe 'Cause I am Joe's thymus... They were a great band, with inspired lyrics (the lead song on the album was written from the point of view of the first animals to walk on land, with an excellent image in the chorus: "Learning to walk, learning to walk on sharp knives..." Ah yes… those wonderful Reader’s Digest articles.

In the particular case of “I am Joe’s thymus”, it perhaps merits mention that a short-lived avant-garde band from Norman, Oklahoma named “The Memluks” featured a song inspired by those articles, “Joe’s Thymus,” on their first (and possibly, alas, only) album, _Partida_. The first verse, as best I can remember:

I am Joe’s thymus,
And I’m the leader of Joe’s defensive team.
Just because Joe is a typical forty-seven year old white American male
Doesn’t mean he doesn’t need protection,
And I protect Joe
‘Cause I am Joe’s thymus…

They were a great band, with inspired lyrics (the lead song on the album was written from the point of view of the first animals to walk on land, with an excellent image in the chorus: “Learning to walk, learning to walk on sharp knives…”
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]]> By: Sandra Beasley http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2007/10/remarkable-newness/#comment-1146 Sandra Beasley Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:34:10 +0000 http://pf/harriet/?p=421#comment-1146 How lovely to have a poem recognized on Harriet! Thank you, Dr. Burt (your new book, The Forms of Youth, is actually on the shelf to my left as I type this). As for the "I am Joe's Heart" reference: Reader's Digest was one of the first magazines to push the idea of "Popular Medicine," and they did so with a long-running series of articles written from the POV of an organ as it suffers from disease or medical crisis. No actual authors were credited--the pieces were presented as monologues, i.e. "I am Jane's Esophagus." Very surreal, and persuasive to self-diagnosis--I think I was the only 9-year old sure I had Retinitis Pigmentosa. How lovely to have a poem recognized on Harriet! Thank you, Dr. Burt (your new book, The Forms of Youth, is actually on the shelf to my left as I type this).
As for the “I am Joe’s Heart” reference: Reader’s Digest was one of the first magazines to push the idea of “Popular Medicine,” and they did so with a long-running series of articles written from the POV of an organ as it suffers from disease or medical crisis. No actual authors were credited–the pieces were presented as monologues, i.e. “I am Jane’s Esophagus.” Very surreal, and persuasive to self-diagnosis–I think I was the only 9-year old sure I had Retinitis Pigmentosa.
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