Archy and Mehitabel (original 1930; edition 1970)

The famous poems supposedly written by a free verse poet reincarnated as a cockroach. I don't know what his subject matter was as a human but as a roach he writes about his alley cat friend mehitabel and other urban lowlife (vermin, literally) circa 1920s. His poems are humorous but the humor is full of melancholy. I suppose these poems are technically doggerel but like most of Marquis' other fans I find more wisdom in them than I do in more famous and pretentious verse. ( )

The practice of tour jours gai ( )

A delightfully quirky little book about a cockroach with the soul of a poet - literally, since the poet was reincarnated as a cockroach and now writes his poetry by hopping on the keys of a typewriter. Mehitabel is his friend and tormenter, a ditzy cat who enjoys life perhaps a bit more than our poet can approve of. It's a delightful fantasy for adults. ( )

A quirky collection of poems told from the unusual perspective of a cockroach and an alley cat. The quality of the writing varies, but overall the gimmick works pretty well. I found that this style of humorous writing appeals to me more than the nonsensical stuff by Shel Silverstein and the like. I found the 'mehitabel' poems a bit tedious at times, and personally didn't care for them as much as the 'archy' poems. I identified with archy's personality a bit more. The best poems in the collection are the ones which combine archy's views from the world of insects with insight into human society. For example:

i once heard the survivors
of a colony of ants
that had been partially
obliterated by a cow s foot
seriously debating
the intention of the gods
towards their civilization

There are several more volumes of the archy poems. I don't think they're quite as good; the ideas repeat themselves a bit and Marquis has a bit of difficulty keeping the premise fresh. But if you enjoyed this one, the others are probably worth seeking out as well.

My father introduced me to Archy the cockroach and his disreputable friend the cat Mehitabel. He in turn first met them when he was a schoolboy evacuee during World War Two, when one of the teachers read their adventures to the boys in the dormitory before lights out.