Does Satire Lose Its Bite On Printed Pages Over Night? Poem by Sidi Mahtrow

Verse 1

Oh! me, Oh! my, Oh! you!
I don't know what to do.
‘Haps publish a paper or two?

Hal-le-lu-jah!

The quest-ion is pe-cu-liar.
It’s a quest for the new yer.

Its got me on the go,
My students are feelin’ lo,

It’ll take a lot of dough,
T’ hire some-one to tell me

That it isn’t so,

Chorus Does the satire lose its bite
On printed pages, done in spite?


If you publish in the morn-ing
Will reviewers pan with delite?

Can’t you see I’m a get’n hazy,
Won’t somebody shed the light?

Chorus Does the satire lose its bite
On printed pages, done in fright?


Verse 2
Th’ Illumini rise in unison
And send their favorite guns,

To address the matter
on which they’re hell-bent.

Does satire require poetry is the question
That involves these malcontents.

Chorus Does the satire lose its bite
Done in prose by those, uptight?


If you publish it on the web,
Will it have the same delight?

If you tilt to the left side,
Will you offend the right?

Chorus Does the satire lose its bite
When no printed pages are in sight?

Verse 3
Here comes the English on th’ rising tide,
American “boobs” nestled at their side.

To the altar they’re a goin’
With book-learning they’re a knowin’

The editor has this thing
Bout, satire - and the bells begin to ring.

Publish the book of chapters
And reviewers begin to sing:
(Isn’t that a pretty dish to sit before the King.
Ops! Wrong poem.)

Chorus Does the satire lose its bite
On printed pages, black and white?

Would you use it to attack, or
When no answer is in sight?

Put your mind to politics
You’ll find satire’s there all right!

Chorus: “Does your chewing gum lose its flavor
on the bedpost over night? '

(Billy Rose and Marty Bloom, ca 1924)

And, Yes.
Chewing gum does retain
Its flavor for a time
On the bedpost,
But it is better
If you do your own chewing.