[Jerry Glenn Hartwig]

My feeling about Merrill's observations was that they said more about him than about the scene

Hmmm.. that's what I find interesting about the poem: it isn't about the scene, but the revelations of the narrator.

I wasn't familiar with this one, Mac, but I enjoyed it. Thanks for posting it.

[Marilyn Taylor]

I don't want to re-state the obvious for those who already know all about Merrill and from whence he sprang, but those who are new to him and his work might be interested in the fact that he was the son of Charles Merrill, the founder of the Wall Street brokerage firm, Merrill Lynch.

A. Poulin had this to say about him: "Most of his poems are marked by a tone edged with a measure of ironic detachment that, in some literary circles-- where irony is blasphemy and guts rule-- might be considered indicative of high, albeit elegant, decadence." An interesting take on him, I think!

Marilyn