Doggerel about John Updike in the New York Times Book Review

This excellent doggerel poem was sent by J. Mudcat Miller from Catchogue, New York, & published in the letters to the editor in the Sunday, January 6th, 2008, Book Review.

To the Editor:

In re your review of John Updike’s “Due Considerations: Essays and Criticism” (Nov. 4):

There aren’t too many others like
our John, the writer, Up, yes, dike.
His brain, like his golf, is well above par,
and his work is, well, it’s wunderbar.

But how I wish, to my chagrin,
that he could, just for once, begin
a sentence and, without a bend,
continue straight until the end.

When I read his books I find
it’s like a Christmas of the mind,
and he is Santa, bringing pauses,
father of dependent clauses.

It's great to see doggerel in newspapers - very 19th Century, let's bring that back!