The Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan (53 page)

What am I talking about? It

’s a new day! I’ve got

to run. Mi casa, su casa,

THE AGE OF GOLD
is before me.

TO PETER SCHJELDAHL

This picture indicates development

You drink some coffee, you get some sleep

Everything is up in the air

especially us

who are me

Linda greets our force

forcefully

so much for that

(sing)

“I’m sittin’ here thinkin’

just how sharp I am. . . .”

I ask you, can these words have issued

from M’sieur M. “The Rock” Proust,

BPOE, RSVP, ICUP
?

No.

You inhabit a baby, I mean

a table . . .

the logic of that

is lost

is mixed with public opinion

and

as we get closer & closer, to it

something snaps

Music gets into this picture

of

“A Life.”

& Now it’s rolling . . .

& Now we are one

& it’s bed-time

competitive spirits

dare we continue? we dare continue

seeking parties

full of places

we have not been at

nor ever will be at

without each other.

Someone          something

HELP
!

false start

“falling in love with religious experience”

Now you’re talking!

“giving tongue

to the public consciousness”

(that’s a thought)

A dope-fiend is sitting

on his dead ass,

surrounded by roaches.

“You have just won The Avant-Garde Literary Award.”

1.

It is a very great thing

To call across the room

To a girl,

“Hey, I love you.”

You shout very loudly.

A lot of weird freaky people

Look at you very strangely plus assorted boring square types—

The girl does not hear you.

She is puce, and yellow. You are completely ass

Because the girl you are yelling to is Whistler’s Mother.

PS: You are also somewhat color-blind.

Or could it be that you are The Joker, my plum-blossomed Visionary

Friend? Those tiny broken veins on the tip of your nose are

Tres
interesting. They resemble the map of Crete.

2.

Some of Denis Roche’s books are missing here.

Let’s go out. We can go to the park.

Dead Fingers Talk
. They say, “I got some books here

That we can steal things out of.

They’re all by good writers.” Silence.

Orange Juice. Five dog barks then another.

Then too many to count shut up you dumb mutt.

In Korea they give puppies to GI’s who fatten them up

Then they steal them back to make soup. Ack.

I think we oughtta write a great poem outta these books.

That dog is still barking. My stomach is growling: Ravi Shankar

I got all great books here to write poems from.

Maybe we could write a sonnet. Great burst of applause:

Ladies & Gentlemen, it’s all about to happen, & now it’s done.

3.

I’ve been loving you a little too long.

I can’t stop now. Why should I stop now?

You don’t know, do you? I think it is very nice

Of you. Incidentally, I went to the fortune teller

She looked into the crystal ball. She saw

Two New York Yankees & they were very small.

I left there in a hurry. I needed one pall mall.

I got one from a midget. It was long as he was tall.

In case you haven’t figured it out, Lady of Mondrian, the lake

I made up most of the above. You see, I did it

Because I’m a nut. Yet, isn’t it all right to be sort of nutty, a flak

When you are in love? Why not

Call me up sometime?

212-677-7779.

Now twist knife all strength owing O now twist knife

And he came down tubes chosen by the waiter

Black fright

Headed down from his homely Thuggee feelings

To the babbling waiter

Whose foreign compulsion wounded his taint

In the dawn of Thuggee feelings

Then

I tamed him

A prince sups on his head for thought

Dark grace savors him

Or tortures me

He said come forth old time wit and get me too

It’s very interesting

Weighing 500 lbs

You might even say, “It’s great!”

“Let’s drink to that!”

I did        Dixie Cup Fanta Orange

IOWA           BACK DEATH
                 & now a humming

Opening it up inside

Making a fire-engine red

Desk chair bright green

A white night & amazing you!

You don’t believe it.

The right wall is
BRICKS
.

The left wall is
FAR OUT

The front wall is
PICTURES
.

I CAN’T SEE
the back wall.

The
CEILING
is High.

The Floor is
QUICK
.

The
AIR
is
THIN
.

The
LIGHT
is
BRIGHT WHITE
.

The
CURRENT
is
ELECTRIC
.

The
POWER
is
ON
.

The Subject is
BENT
.

He is
POISED
.

He is Listening.

This is
IT
.

it is
HERE
.

He has been
WATCHING
.

He has Had To Think.

It is Done. It is

COMPETENT
. It is
NOT

SATISFACTORY
, but

It Damn Well Will Do.

Autumn is fun

for these kids

who love me

But comes a Voyeur

W/his champagne

to this tub

It shrinks

disappears.

The pills aren’t working.

Messy red heart

put on black shirt

tight brown cords & slush-proof boots

stand up & look at it

Senior Service, pretty expensive

Not for me, tho, I’m an American

“There are no second acts in American life.”

cf. F. Scott Fitzgerald

& money is just a way for people to talk, anyway

For example Jim Dine talking, to me

That’s one I just finished. It’s a list

of names of everyone in my life

the past ten years. What a great idea,

I think. It’s so simple. You just get an idea

& then you do it. Anxiety thickens the plot.

TO BOB CREELEY

1.

My heart Your heart

That’s the American Way

& so,

FUCK OR WAIK
!

It’s the American Way

Messy Red Heart               (American)

Put on

black shirt, tight

brown cords & bright

blue socks

Under slush-proof boots!

Is that cow-hide?

I don’t know Yes it is that

It is That.

Take a
good
look, that is I

mean

have
a good look

LIGHT UP
(a Senior Service)

&

turning around

The turning point is turning around.

Now, that may seem wasteful         to you

but not to me                being American

That’s the American bent

(sprinting with a limp)

It beginning having reached part 3.

Part 3.

Into the Second Act in American Life:

cf. F. Scott Fitzgerald

“There are no

     I go in &                                                  Second Acts in

sit down                                                                   American Life.”

at this desk

and write

dog            sees       
GOD

in the mirror

c/o    Jim Dine

60 Chester Square

London SW One