12 Oct 2011
Below is a scan of a photocopy of a photocopy of a clipping that Briony used to have pinned to her wall. I don't know Allan Provost but I know where he's coming from.
Copywriter's Lament
They said they loved the way I wrote
The style The flair The verve
They admired every paragraph
For its sinew and its nerve
They proclaimed I had the talent
To set creative fires
To inflame consumers' passions
And consume them with desires
And so, with open arms, they said
“Welcome to our shop”
And showered me with praise
I was sure would never stop
But within a week they scolded me
For being “off the wall”
For taking risks and using words
Not understood by all
They encouraged me to “tone it down”
I was cautioned to avoid
Rhetoric that either
Inspired or annoyed
And when, at last, I wrote their way
For I finally understood
I overheard somebody say
“He's really not that good”
The style The flair The verve
They admired every paragraph
For its sinew and its nerve
They proclaimed I had the talent
To set creative fires
To inflame consumers' passions
And consume them with desires
And so, with open arms, they said
“Welcome to our shop”
And showered me with praise
I was sure would never stop
But within a week they scolded me
For being “off the wall”
For taking risks and using words
Not understood by all
They encouraged me to “tone it down”
I was cautioned to avoid
Rhetoric that either
Inspired or annoyed
And when, at last, I wrote their way
For I finally understood
I overheard somebody say
“He's really not that good”