Hitler’s Mustache by Peter Davis, Barnwood Press
Faves: “Hitler’s Mustache: The Teenage Mustache Sestina”; “Hitler’s Mustache: The Seven Deadly Mustaches”; “Hitler’s Mustache: The Mystery of Hitler’s Must Ache”
Hitler’s clever, self-aware mustache begins obscuring its identity as one of the most iconic fashion faux-pas of all time, letting me, the reader, know it “is enlivened by the music of Journey.”
Let’s be real. How can I be negative about a book that references Journey in the first poem?
While the book at times can delight a bit too much in its own sense of wit (kind of like a friend who snickers at her own jokes, but dang it, the jokes are usually funny), Davis pokes fun at all poets hold dear: form, poetry readings, rejection letters, and certainly metaphor.
The first poem makes Hitler’s mustache a Chuck Norris poem of sorts—if Chuck Norris were more like a furry, ironic Gen-X-er and less like, well, himself. Hitler’s mustache becomes everything—from a Frank O’Hara impersonator to a punk band—and so, means nothing. In fact, the last poem is a list of stand-ins for the mustache, which includes barn door and nose boat. It is the ultimate meta-collection—mocking post-modernism while using it for satire and on rare occasions, in earnest. There are a few forgettable poems in the collection, but overall, it’s a fun read that will make nerds like me giggle.
Fun fact: Peter Davis also did the artwork for the cover, drawing the image of Hitler and placing a bar code where the mustache would be.
Cover design for Hitler's Mustache
In honor of post-modernism, give this 1989 classic, “Shadrach” by the Beastie Boys, a proverbial spin (or, erm, click) because this website says it is post-modern. And, oh yeah, it is a rocking tune.
