An open letter to the Beats:
to you who are anathematic to propriety
constantly risking absurdity
killing our darlings!!!
ambitiously invoking a new vision
you monsters that dance upon our graves
in pyrotechnic hallucinogenic gyrations
scored by DJs from another galaxy
decked out in divinely comedic glow paints
you who dive bomb our discourses
like fuck is a neologism of your own devising
rattling and tearing down cages of perception
unleashing amphetamine pumped diction
cartwheeling descriptors of obscene nature
you who jump jive a dirty boogie
and get all up in our lexical junk
honestly, we, the venerated few of the dead poets society,
blame you for all this foul-mouthed, Piss Christ postmodernism
for turning poetry into a god forsaken jumble sale
in the name of liberty or revolution or adolescent angst
you killed Kenny and refuse to respect our authority!!!
please consider this your death threat, hate mail,
anthrax-laced, redacted funding letter from the NEA
your kick to the curb or the road or whatever
rock you crawled out from under, stoned,
because we’re not gonna take it anymore!!!
Note: I had a bit of tongue in cheek fun with Gay’s fantastic prompt on the Beat Poets at dVerse.
hahaha…even blamed them for killing kenny….my goodness….where would we be without those willing to challenge the conventional norms…i bet they would get a chuckle…piss christ post mod…haha…fun
smiles…enjoyed your tongue in cheek…and i def. thought this would be right up your alley…in pyrotechnic hallucinogenic gyrations
scored by DJs from another galaxy….cool
Time-warp. You must have been there.
Perfect take on this–the adults from my childhood had this exact reaction (but for religious, not artistic, desire for purity)! Get all up in our lexical junk–excellent work!
He-he – I am sure they did kill Kenny! But in their defence they brought alive our minds – or did they…
Anna :o]
OOOooooooh LOVED this – it’s so SMART – and satirical or straight – it’s in their mode and right back at ’em. This is so smart and so funny and yet from a woman’s point of view, a classicist’s point of view, probably from Heaney and Walcott’s point of view so apt. I want you to know I just love you!
Loved this.. a beat agains the beats.. and now they are even more beaten… and all that post-modern — Killing Kenny stuff.. you hade me laughing over this
glad you linked this up for OLN 4 Tony; I hadn’t read it yet. Your tongue was so deep into our cheek it made a dimple I think; love the definition for Beat poets as /foul-mouthed, Piss Christ postmodernism/ the rancor & vitriol are very convincing; surprised Fox News &/or Glenn Beck or Rush did not seize this an their latest anthem against liberals.
I’ve been reading this aloud, trying to complete it in one, hot breath. The clarity here is nearly blinding. What a write– killing our darlings… exactly!