"Near a scene of wet lawn and storm-beat shrub..." ~ Jane Eyre
Even a lady of the Canon needs to get her beat on once in a while. I am in one funky Ginsberg mood at the moment. You may want to read one of my favorite Ginsberg poems first. http://www.poemhunter.com/p/m/poem.asp?poet=6613&poem=27333
A Trader Joe's in New York
What thoughts I have of you tonight, Alan Ginsberg, for I drove down the road under fluorescent lights with a fucking migraine because this fucking world shining under the moon still doesn't understand all that you understand.
I am starving and fatigued and thinking both of food and of a man in fatigues and wonder which one I am really hungry for. Shopping for images, I went into Trader Joe's, dreaming of your granola-esque words.
What figs and what figments! Single women shopping at night. Aisles full of fake Gucci knockoffs! Twentysomethings in the tomatoes, thirtysomethings in the snowpeas. And you, Sylvia Plath, what were you doing down by the strawberry jams?
I saw you, Alan Ginsberg, Kerouac-less and Saroyan-less, poking among the pita chips and eyeing the grocery boys in green aprons.
I head you asking questions of each: What price Luna Bars? Who killed the Tofurkey? Are you my Seraphim?
I wandered in and out of the whole wheat pastas following you and following a figment of my imagination.
We strode past the free coffee station with our artichoke hearts peeling, never approaching the cashier.
Where the fuck are we going, Alan Ginsberg? The doors close in a half hour. Which way are your horn-rimmed glasses looking tonight?
(I touch your books of poetry and dream about our adventure in Trader Joe's and feel everything but absurd.)
We will drive all night in traffic-laden streets? We will both be lonely.
Will we go to Starbucks and dream of the lost America of love as we sip burnt coffee?
Ah, dear master, please master, what America did you have when a generation cared about making a difference in American society and a cup of coffee was 30 cents?
posted by ThursdayNext | 10:04 PM
19 Comments:
/bark bark bark
now miss lady jane, this is a masterpiece for sure. first, i have never read a ginsberg poem. now that i have, i see you have matched it. it reminded me of how often this is the truth. the moving of your body through routine while your mind is occupied elsewhere. and how perfectly you both have captured that state of being! not knowing what it is you hunger for but whatever it is, sadly, in that moment it is unavailable. how odd, amongst (is that correct?) all that bounty, anything and everything you could want....
the full moon is upon us and restlessness pulls our hearts like the tide to moon. i feel ya, dawg.
/grrrrrrr
Brilliant.
Wonderful. And I'm sure the 30 cent coffee was just as good. And served in a real cup.
Amy, that was very good. I hope you make your students try and do the same thing in an assignment...so many awesome poets...
=-)
As for New York City--finding a job there is proving one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. It was easier to move overseas! Thanks for the kind wishes!! =-)
I fucking loved it :-) You are so talented!
Excellent, my dear.
I give thee a Shakespearean sonnet:
As I beheld this work with mine eyes,
I could not comprehend words in such a state,
The use of such language did invoke a few cries,
For I could not believe our Thursday added this talent to her plate,
Her sensibilities might rub off on us, we hope,
For like her, I stand of words possessed,
Feeling a kindred with many works of wide scope,
From the greatest poet to the least,
Upon reading this my inspiration arising,
Haply I think on thee, and changed is my state,
And thus as I write my thoughts debate,
For the influence which this new work brings,
Ends as soon as my phone rings.
:)
(Sonnet XXIX re-written. That was fun!)
:)
K9 ~ Thank you for your kind words about my poem modeled after Ginsberg. Indeed, amongst is correct, and I am so glad you appreciate the irony of his poem just as I do. Read more Ginsberg poems! Kaddish Part I is one that he is well known for. Hugs to my Rottiepooch.
Zoolaw ~ Thank you, whomever you are.
Neil ~ The other day I spent $20 at lunch at Nathan's for me and my father when we went to Coney Island. I asked him how much the meal would have cost him back then. I think $1 was the answer. Sigh.
Ryane ~ I have some of my students modeling Poe at the moment; its been a good creative experience for them!
Kels ~ I am glad you liked it! Thank you for being so kind, as always! Please, if I am talented its because I am surrounded by talent on this blog! Present company included!
Bravo, Marty!
Will would be e'er so proud, methinks! Thank you kindly, m'dear. I am so glad that Ginsberg is inspiring all of us today! :) Nice couplet, btw. You get an A++ from this English teacher.
So jealous
wow, awesome.
it had been a while since i'd read ginsberg.
Lynn - Don't be; your writing is amazing and I loved your juxtaposition in the "sex dreams" post this week. Well done.
Schaumi - One of my students in my American Lit Honors class is a die hard Beat fan - she loves and is obsessed with the generation, so she inspired me to dive back into it; I will do a unit on them this spring. Did you know that Scorsese bought the rights to "On the Road"? My father and I hope they cast Johnny Depp as Lucien Carr.
Yes, Johnny Depp would be great!
I really don't have the appropriate way to respond like the verse-i-fied responses of the others...
I liked it though...
brava!
i am so impressed!
/bark bark bark
dear lady jane: you must come by the yard and see the video i posted. i promise you, of all bloggas, you will adore it. happy football and cooking today. i am making smoked salmon in my big green egg!
/grrr
i totally loved this post and shared it with a few friends too! now i need some good old 30 cent coffee ;)
Who killed the tofurkey? A question for the ages.
Wow. That wasn't just good. It was New Yorker good. Seriously.
That was absolutely wonderful! You are truly talented.
Post a Comment
<< Home