Plays Well With Letters

Saturday, August 17, 2024

A Life Of Uly Tryptic

Friday, August 9, 2024

Odes In Earnest: Sixteen Diverse Verses Prompted By Anagrams On The Prince Of Paradox's Moniker

OSCARWILDE

ORALEWDSIC

...or, "alewd" (sic).

(a work in progress)

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

IDRAWCLOSE

...I draw close.

(a work in progress)

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

ADIOSCREWL

Goodbyes Wilde bids

to all his yarns,

each bobbin, spindle, reel 'n' spool:

"Aloha, mohair;

see ya, silk;

farewell, chinelle,

adios, crewl."

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

IWASDRCOLE

I, when running

scenes with Wilde,

invested

heart and soul.

(Oscar play'd

Nurse Gotobed

while

I was Dr. Cole.)

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

IECOLDWARS

Oscar fancies

conflicts hot,

with Jerries, Nips,

with Frogs 'n' Boers.

To fight the Rus

he'd rather not:

he hates impasse --

i.e., Cold Wars.

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

CARDEWLOIS

Wilde also penn'd

a play about a

gal who hail'd from Angelo, Wis-

consin, one

unknown to Jack, a

wholly other

Cardew: Lois.*

*Not to be confused with Cecily Cardew,

Worthing's ward in Wilde's comic farce

"The Importance of Being Earnest."

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

IWASCOLDER

(work in progress)

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

CARDEWSOIL

"For Cecily,"

sighs Algernon,

"I ache, I pine,

I yearn.

Her neumonon

I dote upon.

Her love

I long to earn.

I covet not

Miss Cardew's wealth

(who claims so

makes me boil).

I care not for

Miss Cardew's mines

nor for Miss

Cardew's oil."

*Algernon Moncrieff's passion for Cecily

Cardew is demonstrated throughout Wilde's

comic farce "The Importance of Being Earnest."

The play fails, however, to reveal either the

nature or extent of Miss Cardew's estate nor

indeed whether she possesses any at all.

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

ALICEWORDS

Wilde combs through Carroll's Alice books,

then lists his findings,

grouped in thirds.

"First, 'frumious.' Next,

'Bandersnatch.' Third,

'wabe.' A trey of

Alice words."

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

CLIOSAWRED

Wilde courted

the Muses. ('Tis said

Oscar even

took Thalia to bed.)
Euterpe was pleased.

Terpsichore...? Teased.

But Erato and
Clio saw red.

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

SOWARELCID

Oscar queries de Vivar

(or so he says he did),

"You battle Christians; Muslims, too...?"

asks Wilde.

"So: war, El Cid...?"

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

DREWSOCIAL

Oscar party games

would play.

“Pick any card, sir,”

Oscar'd say,
devoid of all

frivolity.
“On each be writ

that quality
Dame Destiny

ascribes to you.
Scoff not, my friend.

Her cards speak true."
(Young Aubrey Beardsley

drew ‘precocial.’
Ross drew ‘loyal.’

Wilde

drew ‘social.’)

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

WIECOSLARD

Says Wilde, "I'm mad

for skinny lads.

'Mongst linguists,

lean's oft barr'd:

wi' Chomsky's girth's

pack'd meager mirth,

as 'tis

wi' Eco's lard."

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

ISCELAWORD

Wilde to

sawbones Fauci:

"Doc, have I not

overheard

your asking

Ronny Jackson

if with Debra

he's conferr'd

to determine

posilutely

if immunity's

gone herd...?

(And if, within

his Oval bin,

Drumpf asks,

'Is 'cel' a word...?')...?"

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

IOSREDCLAW

"Proof Olympus

loves spinoffs
of Parkinson's Law...?

Search no further,"

shrugs Oscar,

"than

Io's red claw."

* * * * *

OSCARWILDE

COLARDWISE

Wilde's green cuisine

commands the prize.

He's Edna Lewis,

col'ard-wise.

* * * * *

Materials:

A solid crew X

A cowl dries X

A crow'd isle X

A deco swirl X

Air'd "Le Scow"

Air'd Lew's CO

~~Alice words~~

Alice's word X

Ali's Roc Dew

Ali's Roc Wed X

Ali! We scor'd! X

al'ows cider

a slow dicer

A word slice

Alice sword

A wordsicle X

A row, sliced

~~Cardew's Oil~~

Cold Ears, WI X

Cilea Sword X

Clas'...? "Widower." X

Cold, I swear! X

C.O.D. air slew

Cried Sal: "Wo'!" X

CA rides low.

Car's oil...? Dew! X

(C): A Wild Rose X

Cora is lewd. X

"Cor!"...? Wel' said! X

Coward lies. X

Coward's lie

Cows derail!

Crowd aisle!

Cawdor Isle X

Cries, "A wold!" X

Crowe's Dali X

Carol's wide.

DCI Al swore. X

Driscol' awe

DA cries, "Owl!" X

Dear ol' Wics: X

Dire Slaw Co.

Doric Wales X

DOW's a relic. X

De laws o' Ric X

DWI! Leo's car...? X

Do eclairs w____...?

Dice...? Or laws...? X

E. coli wards X

"'e cwasi, Lord!"

El Cid...or was.

Eric...? S! Aldo...? W!

"...'eld i' ascrow."

El Cid saw Ro-...

"...ears...lid...cow!"

Erica's wold

Eric's a wold.

Eric was old. X

Ilsa Wecord

Ideal crows

I draw Cole's X

I'd wear clo's X

I also crew'd. X

I do Al's crew.

I draw close.

I raced...s l o w X

Is Lear cow'd...?

I slew Draco. X

I saw ER Doc L. X

I -- cold! -- swear.

I lose...? Ward C!

I scared Owl. X

Lear is cow'd X

Law code, sir! X

Lois Cardew

Low cars die.

Low C, raised X

A lower disc. X

Le Disco War x

Low sidecar

Lo! Icewards!

La Screw...? Dio!

Lew...? Cora...? Sid...? X

Oil Ace Rd., S.W. X

Or slaw iced X

Old Wis'acre X

Ol' Deric saw.

Or, dis a clew

O, scar'd wile!

Ow! d'Arc lies! X

(O) Sliced raw

Ow'd eclairs X

Or El Cid was. X

Or El Cid saw.

Owl Sidecar

Raid Lew's CO X

"Rowli**cades" X

re: a soil'd WC X

Reads, "Wilco!" X

Scrod wi' ale

Scio 'wad'ler'

So weird, Cal! X

Scowler Aid

Seward Coil

Sie World, CA X

Sacred owl...? I...?

Sac' o' rildew X

Sid...? Lew...? Cora...?

Sired a...clow...? X

"Soldier...?" "WAC!" X

~~So, El Cid: war...?~~

Sailor, WCed

Saw roc...? Lied.

S read: "Wilco." X

"...," said Le Crow.

Sri de la Cow

Slower acid

Soiled craw X

Wade, Cloris!

Wid' col' ears

Worse: Cali'd! X

Woc lids are X

W card...? I lose.

Wid' escarol' X

Walid's core

Waldo cries X

Wide ol' cars X

Waldo's rice.

W: "La...si..." "C: "Re...do!" X

Weird colas X

"We's cordial!"

We...? Sic Roald...?

We'd sic Arlo.

We soil'd Arc.

WC read soli.

Wide corals

Wails, "Credo..." X

Wace is Lord! X
We roal'd (sic). X

Wed Lorca...? Si! X

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Uly Sketches, Then Stacks, The Court...In Color

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Forgotten Sunday Supplement Comic Strips: Richard F. Outcault & "Rat Child Of Caturu"

Saturday, August 3, 2024

Forgotten Sunday Supplement Comic Strips: Walt Disney & "Lydia's Newt"

Before Donald and Mickey -- even before the memorable Steamboat Willie -- legendary cartoonist Walt Disney created a now forgotten strip: "Lydia's Newt."

This early work by the soon-to-be-famous animator promised to chronicle the daily ups and downs of Russian prima ballerina Lydia Lopokova as she attempted to teach her pet salamander, Kiril Kirilovitch, some simple ballet technique using the Vaganova method. Blunt-snouted, short-limbed Kiril, however, much preferred studying essays outlining the macroeconomic theories of Lydia's husband, famed economist John Maynard Keynes. Conflict was bound to ensue.

Disney completed only three half-page, six-panel color newspaper spreads before abandoning the project in favor of the experiments in film animation which would ultimately lead to his success.

Only a single manuscript of "Lydia's Newt" -- that of what would have been its final installment -- appears to have survived.