And worse than that, whenever he picked up his guitar to play a shanty or a rag, it would always come out with "Laura". In desperation, he sold the guitar and took up the concertina -- "Laura" -- exchanged it for a xylophone --"Laura" -- hurled it away and took up shooting at a rifle range -- the holes around the shadowy heart spelled -- "Laura" -- he threw away his alphabet cereal for Cheerios, and was briefly happy, until the milk made all the "o's" soggy, and they lumped into --"Laura".