When Lionel Keats, the minor English poet and seldom recognized brother of John Keats, started hearing the voice of an imaginary friend tell him repeatedly, “I am going to stay here and not go away until you do what I say,” he decided to share this with his parents. They told him, “Whatever else you do, keep telling yourself that the voice comes from a malfunction in your brain and under no circumstances are to do what the voice says.” This was sage advice, because Lionel’s evil mutant twin, Edgar, kept trying to convince him to kill the future major romantic poet. Sadly Lionel never questioned why mirrors had been banned from the family home. Having knowledge of the true nature this strange voice would have made life so much simpler for him. He never could understand why they kept screaming, “shut up Edgar,” at him. Few are aware that the poem To My Brother George was first titled To My Brother Lionel, but the editors decided that this might not be quite appropriate.
Its ships, its rocks, its caves, its hopes, its fears,—
Its voice mysterious, which whoso hears
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