Somewhere there exists a recording of me spieling out nearly an hour of poetry from memory, word- and diction-perfect. Long passages of Shakespeare, parts of “Evangeline,” even the Moody Blues. It was a long-ago New Year’s Eve, I had been drinking champagne, and something set off my associative memory. Probably someone dared me, which is not a safe thing for anyone under those circumstances. I don’t know why I can only do this when I’ve had a glass or two. Today I tried to recite a simple, standard poem from memory without the aid of alcohol, and this is what came out. The faint of heart may wish to stop reading now.
Once upon a midnight dreary,
As I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a volume of long-forgotten lore;
From above there came a rapping,
Then I heard a gentle tapping,
And I knew my bird was crapping,
Crapping on my chamber floor.
I hurled an oath, a book flew after,
Knocked the raven from its rafter;
Then I wrung its scrawny neck and flung it to the floor.
Loud I cried out, “I don’t wan’ no
“Filthy birds and stinking guano
“In my room, now or manano.
“Never!” quoth I. “Nevermore!”
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