Michael S. Luzzi
Author of the Trumpty Dumpty books
"The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States was a heart-stopping, life-altering moment, which has become a recurring nightmare."
In the introduction to a book I wrote in 2018, TRUMPTY DUMPTY INVADES MOTHER GOOSE, I wrote:
"In my mind, November 8, 2016 has joined the ranks of November 22, 1963, and September 11,2001 as a singular tragedy of epic proportions. I refer to this as The Dark American Triad. The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States was a heart-stopping, life-altering moment, which has become a recurring nightmare. It was an event that has threatened to tear the fabric of this country apart – thread by slender thread - until there is nothing left but a democracy in shreds: The UNTIED States of America. . .
This poem I wrote – as one of my coping mechanisms – was eerily prescient…
The Dark American Triad: JFK, 9/11, Trump
The last sound I heard when my head disappeared
into my pillow was a low agonizing sob… It was my own
I dreamed that I was dreaming about a nightmare
descending at great speed from a spec in the sky,
growing larger like a meteor but morphing
into a hideous mass with a thick tail whipping
and a lizard-like tongue flicking swiftly
with pointed tips and amber eyes,
eyes that laughed out loud as it stopped short
and hovered over me … silent for a long moment
before it spat out the deliberate dreadful question:
“How do you like your new room?”
I am so deep in the dream I drift far, far back,
toward the burning towers … It is September 11, 2001 …
and I can no longer stand the smoke that chokes me and soon I become air
born, flailing my arms which turn into wings, which float me safely down… I land
on the ground in Dealey Plaza… It is also November 22, 1963
and there’s the motorcade moving toward me, the presidential limo, but Elm Street
suddenly becomes Pennsylvania Avenue… It is also January 20, 2017
and the shots which echo are not only assassins’ bullets aimed at Kennedy
but also a 21-gun salute to Trump and it’s all happening at the same time,
it’s all the same place, and I can’t tell if the past has caught up to the present
or if this is the future where America has been co-opted while I slept?
But now I am awake… And my eyes are open!
©2017 Michael Luzzi
Illustration by Jon Alderfer
"I love this Trumpty book...Luzzi’s rhymes capture the absurdity of the Trump administration with unbridled candor and hilarity." - Deborah Lynn
"Parody at its finest... very appropriate to the times we live in. A must read for both students of parody and the general public.
- Harvey H. Mains Jr.
Just Published!
Trumpty Dumpty 2:
From Mother Goose to Wonderland...
by Michael S. Luzzi. September 2020
Cover Illustration by Jon Alderfer
Design and Layout by Lee Gorman and Laurel Hoskins
Follow POTUS and his associates down the rabbit hole, so to speak! Through pointed and pithy verse the chronicle continues in Book 2 of the Trumpty Dumpty saga as the author comically mirrors the seemingly endless farce that continues to play out at the White House. This time, the cabinet members act out characteristics and antics from "Alice In Wonderland" and also inhabit Haiku, original limericks, parodies of classic poems, popular hit songs, and Late Night comedians. A DIY section is included for readers to be creative, vent, and have some collective fun.
July 4, 2020,
5 stars on Amazon
Enjoyable read. It's funny, prescient and light. Perfect.
- Michael Hull
“Trumpty is a hilarious satire using a beloved format and universal themes to lampoon the bedlam of policies and half-witted characters of Trumpism. Using easily recognizable nursery rhymes, Luzzi has deftly transformed them with biting political candor. The illustrative caricatures are ingenious. Great to own as an addictive coffee table read, gift to a disgruntled loved one who needs to “lighten up”; or party ice breaker.
-Deborah Gorman
"Politicians and pundits can take a page from Michael Luzzi as they seek to implement strategies that expose the nefarious ways of Donald Trump. In his second book, Trumpty Dumpty 2 from Mother Goose to Wonderland, Luzzi uses what may be the best technique available—humor—to needle the man whose administration has continuously revealed disdain for the American people. Expanding the repertoire used in his first book beyond nursery rhymes to include poets from Maya Angelou to Robert Frost, Luzzi combines wit and wisdom to lay bare the incompetency and insensitivity of the Trump administration. In a series of scathing parodies based on well-known verse that we learned in childhood, no aspect of the current swamp is left unexplored. Whether you binge-read this book in a single sitting or savor its entries as daily meditations, Trumpty Dumpty 2 will provide you with plenty of belly laughs along with a head-shaking reminder of the absurd times in which we live." -Bob Chase 10/29/20
Trumpty Dumpty:
Invades Mother Goose (Book 1)
A Chronicle of Trumpty Times,
Reimagined In Classic Rhymes
by Michael S. Luzzi. April, 2018
Front and Back Cover Art – Jon Alderfer
Design and Layout – Lee Gorman and Laurel Hoskins
Illustrations – Peter Aspinwall
Book 1 of the "Trumpty Dumpty" series is a cleverly crafted political satire that captures the chaotic journey of Trump & Co. through the campaign and the first year in the White House. Inside these pages, the reader will find Mother Goose characters reimagined as members of the Trumpty cohort that the public has come to know so well.
"In seamless prose, Luzzi puts into print all the absurdities of a difficult time in US history, and much like the original Humpty Dumpty, leads us to muse on our limitations to fathom the unfathomable. Hurray for this timely tome! Helps me to keep a sense of balance, and tickles my funny bone. I am grateful for the chuckles and the superb illustrations. Have recommended it to all my friends." -B. Belle
"Luzzi's poems ... are always thoughtful, engaging and relevant to the times. Considering this, many of the poems have had to deal with loss and tragedy. This book is refreshing since it covers poems that are serious in nature but with a hysterically comedic flair. I highly recommend it to everyone who is currently dissatisfied with our current political leadership and is looking for one way to "laugh" it off."
About the Author
Michael Luzzi's interviews with American poets, writers, actors, and leaders in the business community have appeared
The New York Times,
The Daily News, USA Today, Playbill, Nautilus Magazine, Goodlife Magazine
and many regional New England publications. He teaches English and his film-as-literature course, “Learning about Life Through Film” part time at Workspace Education, an innovative private program in Bethel, CT. Michael Luzzi lives in Newtown, Connecticut with his wife, Cornelia and two cats.
Once Upon a Time...
In November of 2016, my spirit felt like it had been broken into pieces -- like many other Americans-- so many pieces, in fact, there was a question of whether or not the country could ever be put back together again? Wait a minute… That phrase sounded very familiar. Hence, the birth and evolution of my first book "Trumpty Dumpty."
The process of writing has tempered my own outrage and frustration and has prevented the dark shadow of pessimism from eclipsing what I have long referred to as an incurable idealism. I had to accept this alternate reality, but certainly wasn’t about to do so passively. These writing projects are examples of my active resistance to the spectacle our government and nation have become.
In the first book, the fact that I chose characters and stories from Mother Goose nursery rhymes as archetypes to epitomize Trumpty & Co. turned out to be serendipitous. The backstory and basis of many of these original classics are dark and reflected the harsh treatment of the general populace by greedy and unpopular rulers. The links at the end of this introduction will reveal just how relevant this metaphor really is. When Trumpty took office, he even came in with his own wall….