Poet William Carlos Williams

"Forget all rules, forget all restrictions, as to taste,
as to what ought to be said, write for 
the pleasure of it."

                                            ---William Carlos Williams

                                                            
The Daily News

1  I always sort of wondered if William Carlos Williams' nickname was "Bill Carl Bills."

2

3  I expected that reaction. He, on the other hand, may have appreciated the brevity. 

4  Or I've wondered on more than one occasion if O. Henry had friends who called him, "The O!" or "O. Hank!" 

5  I assume by his change of name that the surname William Sydney Porter never rested easy with him.

6  Wouldn't "Billy Porter" have been perhaps a better idea?

7  I guess if you are a poet, you need to have some sort of catchy handle.

8  This sent me on a fun search yesterday. It was late afternoon, and we were kicking back watching Modern Family.  I half watched, and half kept goofing on the babies, always a treat.

9  I ran across this pen name. Ever hear of Alice Addertongue?

10   Yeah me neither. It's a pseudonym for Benjamin Franklin. A pseudonym is a false name, especially for an author. Remember pseudoephedrine from Wednesday's DN? According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, "pseudo" means "not genuine, sham." So "pseudonym" is a false name, or more elegantly, a pen name. 

11  Franklin had quite a few pen names. Here is a list:

Silence Dogwood, Harry Meanwell, Alice Addertongue, Richard Saunders, and Timothy Turnstone.

12  Franklin is only one of many writers who turned to pen names to write scathing criticisms of public figures. 

13  Pretty fun stuff to find out on a lazy Thursday.

14  Each one had its own personality. Here is a link if you'd like to find more out about the many faces of Benjamin Franklin:

 Benjamin Frankin PBS.com Trivago Wit and Wisdom

15  I too have a few handles, but I'm thinking of adding one more, now that I am onto the entire concept.

16  I'm going to contact the Franklin Mint and tell them I am a friend of Silence Dogwood, a mutual friend of Franklin's, and that my handle is Gabriel Gimmiesome. 

17  I'm thinking of creating a Facebook with that handle.

18  Here would be my profile pic:

19  I'd appreciate any feedback you could give me. I could be reached at Donta Gibbadam on Facebook. Just do a search. Should be there.

20  Or I've a female pen name as well: Dona Fealiket. 

21  Either one should work. I won't provide a link, because of legalities and such. 

22  Looking forward to hearing from you.

23  Moving On, Part One: Anybody lookin'? If you don't contact me, you'll be a social piranha.

24  

25  I stole that directly from the episode of Modern Family, playing agreeably in the background as I wrote this nonsense.

26  Pardon me a minute.

27  Thanks. I just thought this was needed:

28   Whew.

29  Why, that fellow LOOKS like a social piranha.

30  It doesn't get any better than this.

31  Nobody said it was easy.

32  Anybody lookin'?

33  Friday. Anything pretty much goes on a Friday, if you ask me. Or if you ask William Carlos Williams. 

34  Here is what O. Henry always looked like in my mind when I was a child:

35  The guy in Wiki looks like this:

36  Honestly.

37  You can't make this stuff up here on a Friday.

38  On looks alone, that guy would not have been my friend, and I don't really know why.

39  Unless he could hit, we would have chosen him last while choosing sides for a baseball team. 

40  There would have been that last hesitant moment delaying the start of a game, when inevitably, a Good Samaritan would break the silence and say, "Ah, all right. We'll take the O." 

41  And that's the way it goes. 

42  Gottago.

43  AND...it's officially the weekend, noon today.

44  Or, beginning now.

45  You have a GREAT one, and we'll see you again.

46  Peace.

~H~

fin.