Firstly, both piece’s titles begin uncapitalized as does all of the sentences within main body. ‘another Lucy’ does capitalize ‘Lucy’ thruout and ‘Parisian’, ‘Lethe’, and ‘Everywoman’ but that’s it.

Secondly, there is a predilection in both poems for words using prefix ‘un’…’unstuffing’ ‘unchilded’ in Ms. Baker’s and ‘unfurl’ ‘unfree’ in Mr. McLean’s. Thirdly, sentence structure using periods, commas, in longer sentences appear cut from same cloth. #4…The subject in both poems is a ‘she’. #5…Some, not much, in author’s liking for alliteration: ‘…the graveface MADE for MARKING , see, we all need MONEY’ and ‘MAD as the MIST she is that spans a lake, her Lethe drains her of MISERLY MEMORY’ (hmm. both using ‘m’ words). #6…Both mention the ‘sun’.

But there are some key differences in the cross-examination that seems to indicate the different authors behind the grassy knoll theory. ‘jerking the heartattack string’ is written in single lines and stanzas and ‘another Lucy’ is double-spaced with no stanzas. Word usage in Ms. Baker’s poem is what I call enlightened working-class and makes heavy use of word-combos like ‘fleshheap’ ‘fastdream’ ‘brainclock’ ‘graveface’ etc whereas in Mr. McLean’s poem this technique is absent. Additionally, the tone of Mr. McLean’s piece is more academic/verbose/eruditic and even makes reference to the underworld river Lethe (Lee-thee). Academics like allusioning our Greco-Roman Western heritage…

I’m interested in any similarities or differences others may ascertain in these two intriguing poems. Unsolved Mystery…same author or just coincidence?