WHEN KAFKA WAS THE RAGE The pipes in my room begin seething As I lie in bed barely breathing Though I always knew We'd be legends one day I'd never have guessed you To do it that way We tried our best to be frugal And liquor was cheap on MacDougal We posed under streetlamps As if we were on stage When Kafka was the rage We saw the world as empty, Corrupted and absurd You were quite the haunting figure then So thin and self-assured And half a dozen women Devoured your every word And I took it all in stride Took it all in stride We put the whole world on notice While you strained to master the lotus Joyce was a titan And Miller was a sage When Kafka was the rage A brilliant new world order Was rising in your head And at least a dozen women Were eager to be led While Blake's Collected Poems Collected dust beside our bed And I took it all in stride Took it all in stride Was it by chance or mere magic That one simple glance Proved so tragic You were half-crazy And I was half your age When Kafka was the rage When Kafka was the rage