101 Ways to Love Yourself (Badly): poems about narcissism is what is purports to be, and then some. Instead of 101 poems, Christopher has written [a number].* Instead of self-admiration that is bad, Christopher discusses self-admiration that is bad, could be bad, is sort of bad, and might be awful.

Christopher has written books before, but herein you get him at his most flippant and his most vulnerable, his most pegged and unpredictable. "It's the best thing since I sliced that bread," says I, and "Pieces of a master," says the master of the piece. "Without a doubt, the best story I've written part of today," in which I invite you with self-deprecating honesty to laugh at the two people who are always allowed to be the butt of your jokes: you and yourself.

Hold on. The muses are demanding a demonstration. (If there is one thing I've learned writing this piece, it's that you've got to give the muses what they want.)

THE NARCISSIST, SECRETLY PLEADING

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*350 poems at last count, including the one you just read.

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