A Day in the Life *

By Lisabet Sarai

I read the news today, oh boy,

About a lucky gal who made the grade,

Although the news made me quite green,

Well I still had to laugh;

I read her biograph.

She was both lonely and unknown,

Older than I am by a year or two.

Six major pubcos turned her down.

A decade on, she scored;

Nobody expected her to win the Nat'nal Book Award... **

I saw a film today, oh boy,

Based on a novel I have always loved,

A crowd of people forked out cash

I couldn't bear to look

How they raped the book.

I'd love to turn you on.

Woke up, fell out of bed,

Brushed the cat fur from my head,

Grabbed a cup of joe and went to read my mail.

Found my keyboard blocked by a black tail...

Read my last day's work and winced,

Tried to keep myself convinced

I could write at all. I penned a line or two.

Checked when it was due and went into a dream...

I read the news today, oh boy,

The vampire lady made another mil.

The New York Times still didn't call

Two K seems awfully small

Now I know how hard it is to publish anything at all.

I'd love to turn you on ...

(to my books, that is....)

* With apologies to John Lennon and Paul McCartney

** For more on Jaimy Gordon and Lord of Misrule, winner of the most recent National Book Award, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/books/02book.html