Groucho Raises a Toast to Lydia [by David Lehman]

Search

July 03, 2017

Groucho Raises a Toast to Lydia [by David Lehman]

Listen to this
praise of Lydia
the tattooed lady,
the most glorious
creature under the sun:
"She has eyes that folks adore so
and a torso even more so. . ."
in The Marx Brothers
At the Circus (1939)
On her back is the battle of Waterloo!
When a robe is unfurled
she will show you the world!
If you tell her where
she'll show you
Washington crossing the Delaware!
Here is Captain Spalding exploring the Amazon --
Here's Godiva but with her pajamas on --
You can learn a lot from Lydia!
music by Harold Arlen
words by Yip Harburg
Lemonade! Romance!
The World's Fair of 1900
marked down from 1940
a happy way
to start your day

Posted by The Best American Poetry on July 03, 2017 at 06:00 AM in Adventures of Lehman, Feature, Movies, Music | Permalink

Comments

Like us on Facebook

"Lively and affectionate" Publisher's Weekly. Now in paperback.Click image to order your copy.

Register now for our 5th annual session Jan 27 - Feb 3. “What better place to read, write, and talk about the art and craft of writing than Todos Santos, where all the saints of the sea and sky watch over you?” - Christopher Merrill

Radio

I left it
on when I
left the house
for the pleasure
of coming back
ten hours later
to the greatness
of Teddy Wilson
"After You've Gone"
on the piano
in the corner
of the bedroom
as I enter
in the dark

from New and Selected Poems by David Lehman