Calvin Trillin

Verse Columnist

Calvin Trillin is The Nation’s “deadline poet.”

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney Lecture CEOs on Corporate Responsibility George W. Bush and Dick Cheney Lecture CEOs on Corporate Responsibility

"Creative accounting" is something we hate. From now on your numbers will have to be straight. No taking of options for stock you contrive To dump when insiders can tell it wi...

Aug 1, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

A Spirited Defense of George W. Bush Against Accusations That He Dumped His Harken Stock Because of Inside Information A Spirited Defense of George W. Bush Against Accusations That He Dumped His Harken Stock Because of Inside Information

He says he had no clue the stock would tank. About the details he is still evasive. Though "on the board but clueless" could sound lame, With Bush, a clueless claim sounds qui...

Jul 18, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

On the Congressional Response to the ‘Under God’ Controversy On the Congressional Response to the ‘Under God’ Controversy

They pledge allegiance to the thought That every politician ought To take a stand that's foursquare for the Lord. They think if they say, "God is great! Don't separate him fr...

Jul 3, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

A Crisis of Faith Brought On by Martha Stewart A Crisis of Faith Brought On by Martha Stewart

Agnostic's what he was, had always been. He'd never prayed a prayer, confessed a sin. He's thinking, though, if Martha goes to jail, On Sundays henceforth he will never fail ...

Jun 27, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Death and Taxes 2010 Death and Taxes 2010

"How long do I have?" James Pierson asked, trying to maintain eye contact with the man behind the desk. "Three months, eleven days, seven hours and forty-three minutes," David Ba...

Jun 27, 2002 / Calvin Trillin

In Martha Stewart’s Kitchen In Martha Stewart’s Kitchen

The camera pans across the room
To see what she has made:
An omelette or a spring bouquet
Or just an inside trade.

Jun 20, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Department of Earth Security Department of Earth Security

The EPA cites chapter, and some verse, To show this warming's making matters worse. It's getting worse no matter how you score it. So here's the plan: They think we should ign...

Jun 13, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Cheney’s Head: An Explanation Cheney’s Head: An Explanation

One mystery I've tried to disentangle: Why Cheney's head is always at an angle. He tries to come on straight, and yet I can't Help notice that his head is at a slant. When Ch...

Jun 6, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Joie de Vivre in the Land of Color-Coded Terrorism Alerts Joie de Vivre in the Land of Color-Coded Terrorism Alerts

I got up Monday feeling mellow:
Expected red, but it was yellow.

May 30, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Dick Cheney’s Primer on the Constitution Dick Cheney’s Primer on the Constitution

So what's it called if during war you criticize the President for any reason? Treason. And how long does this war go on (and this is where this theory's really pretty clever)? ...

May 23, 2002 / Column / Calvin Trillin

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