“I look like I paint. Who am I?” [by David Lehman]

Edward Hopper Self-Portrait

Rhapsodic blues. . taciturn Cal Coolidge. . .”you lose”

as the market reaches record highs, speculators buy on margin,

Babe Ruth makes more money than the president, having had a better year,

Lucky Lindy to Paris, Showboat on Broadway, Al Jolson on screen,

Bernice bobs her hair and wears the diamond bigger than the Ritz,

Flappers flirt, philosophers drink bootleg gin,

And this singular fellow may be looking out the window

Of a hotel room with luggage beside the bed

A woman, maybe his wife, puts on her lipstick,

There’s neon at night in the city, but where he is

The people turn their back and look at the sea.

Clues:

1) Dennis

2) William

3) Edward

4) Hedda

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Author: The Best American Poetry