Okay, let’s look at this. One took his self-portrait in a convex mirror; the other presented America to itself in a concave mirror. One has spent his life asking questions; the other dodging questions. One is gay, the other could get a bit too cheerful. One wanted to outsmart his critics, the other wants to outsmart all critics. One looks alert and cautious, the other looks thoughtful and deep. One, the elder statesman of a bunch of louche, spoiled, liberal ne’er-do-wells, the other the elder statesman of a bunch of… oh, never mind.
Well, I think we deserve to know: could Ted Kennedy and John Ashbery by any chance be related?
Hat tip to Neil Astley for the idea…
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they are the same person – have you ever seen them together?
Of course they could! One never knows until one knows.
Both correctamundo. Hurl, you of all people know the truth in your statement, especially with modern internet X-Ray vision etc.
I’ll tell you one thing: I thought this was a hilarious wheeze, and then started looking for a pair of pictures with similar facial expressions to support the idea. As I looked at more and more photographs of both Kennedy and Ashbery, paying close attention to their features, I learned a lot about both of them, and gained in respect for Ashbery. (Without picking up a book!) No matter what you think of his poetry – and I think it’s mixed, and influential possibly not always in a good way – he’s one of us, and Kennedy is quite definitely One of Them.
Dear Katy
If you scour my poetry closely, you’ll find several references to Edward Kennedy, especially in ‘Torn Tickets & Routine Returns’ and ‘Hillimericks’.
Best wishes from Simon