Disclaimer type thingy:

 

Yes, there are references to REAL people in some of these poems.

 

In the poem "They're Coming; It's Been Swell" the opening line is from the novel 1984 by George Orwell

 

The poem "W.S. Burroughs" is, indeed, about William S. Burroughs

 

The poem "Sylvia" is about Sylvia Plath

 

The poem "Oh, Elliott" is a rather terrible tribute to the late Elliott Smith

 

I don't like Fridays is a reference to Brenda Spencer who killed two people in a San Carlos schoolyard shooting in 1979. She reportedly gave "I don't like Mondays" as her only reason for the shooting

 

All of the other songs that use names, like Josey or Paulina or Chloe are all just arbitrary names that I chose because I find them beautiful. I never use the names of real people in my poetry, though some poems may be based on real people I know

 

Enjoy