When David Shapiro blamed my ping-pong
Victory on the distractions of what in a fit
Of pique he called my flapping ostrich
Gesticulations I ventured to remonstrate
That in many of my life’s activities or even
In most of them I was like a flapping ostrich,
“And David,” I continued, “don’t expect me
“To bury my head in the sand.” Oh reader,
Do you recognize my irresistible reflex for
The comical riposte where the more droll
Cosmopolitan rejoinder of which John was
Such a past master might be something
I should strive to develop? On the island
Of Hydra Leonard Cohen once said to me,
“Sing your poems instead of reading them,
“You will have a new career.” I tried but
Suppressing my laughter proved impossible
Causing Leonard in a fit of pique to exclaim,
“Take it seriously, Kenneth!” and I replied,
“How can I take it seriously when I can’t sing?”
https://newyorkschoolpoets.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/leonard-cohen-1934-2016-kenneth-koch-and-the-island-of-hydra/
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