Welcome to National Poetry Month! I’m so pleased to be part of this wonderful blog tour organized by Serena from Savvy Verse and Wit. I’m not a huge poetry fan, so I’m happy to have a reason to give it some attention in April.
I was quite naive about the world when I was an undergraduate. That’s hardly unusual, I’m sure. The thing was, I had no idea how wet behind the ears I was until I took my first literature class at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI (Go Lakers!). I wish I could remember the professor’s name. I remember him having short dark hair and a cropped beard and mustache. I ended up taking several of his classes over those years. He was a good professor, but not one to whom I ever felt connected. I wish I could remember the focus of the class I’m thinking of. I remember reading Go Down, Moses! and Slouching Toward Bethlehem for that class. Those books were not, however, what opened my eyes to the counter-cultural . That honor goes to a tiny little white and black booklet of poems written by Allen Ginsberg entitled Howl.
Allen Ginsberg, who passed away in 1997, was an American poet and part of the Beat Generation. Howl, which is his most famous collection of poems, was published in 1956. While reading those poems I was scandalized. Since it’s been a while since I’ve picked up and read “Howl,” I wondered while I was preparing to write this post, I wondered if it was just my youth that contributed to my reaction to his work. Many might be familiar with the poem’s opening:
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix;
Angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection
to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night.
The words and the imagery draw you in and the rhythm keeps you reading. It didn’t take long before I understood exactly what it was that jolted me out of my comfort zone and sparked an obscenity trial in 1957:
who howled on their knees in the subway and were dragged off the roof waving genitals and manuscripts,
who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy,
who blew and were blown by those human seraphim, the sailors, caresses of Atlantic and Caribbean love,
While his openness about sexuality certainly caught my attention and peaked my curiosity, his writing was beautiful and hypnotic. Even if I had been highly offended, I don’t think I could have put it down.
I’m with you in Rockland
in my dreams you walk dripping from a sea-journey on the highway across America in tears to the door of my cottage in the Western night
With no disrespect intended toward William Faulkner and Joan Didion, it was Allen Ginsberg and his poetry that intrigued me long after we’d moved on in that English class.
Had I not taken that class, Allen Ginsberg’s appearance in Grand Rapids in 1992 would have gone by completely unnoticed. When I saw that he was coming to the Fountain Street Church, I knew that I had to see him. I had to find out more about this man who made me blush. I was also scared to death. I was (and probably still am) a somewhat stereotypical good Catholic girl, despite my attempts at being more worldly. I had no idea who else would be attending Ginsberg’s reading or what the Fountain Street Church was like. I think that’s why I invited my sister Donielle to come with me. She was a sophomore in high school that year and I’m not ashamed to say that she was my human security blanket that night. I brought my copy of Howl along with me just in case I had the opportunity to get it signed.
I cannot truly express how grateful I am that I didn’t let my fears prevent me from attending that event. I can still see him sitting down in a chair in front of the audience. This picture from Wikipedia was not taken that night, but it is very much like I remember him. Regardless of being seated, he was constantly in motion. Allen Ginsberg’s poetry came alive as it shook through his body and left his lips. That which I didn’t catch or understand from my own reading of his work became known that night. It was a revelation.
I suppose I should have felt bad about bringing my much younger sister to the event, but I’ve never once regretted it. I was glad that she was there with me and that I would always have someone with whom I can talk to about this. It’s not something we talk about a lot, but it’s a special memory we share together.
What I do regret about that evening was that I was too nervous, shy, and still a touch out of my element to go up to him after his reading and ask him to sign my book. It would have been nice to have a tangible memento of my touch with the Beat Generation. It seemed to me that night that they influenced the alternative music I was listening to at the time. I just didn’t know what I would have said to him.
Looking back on that day now, I think I simply would have said “Thank you.” I may not be a poet or an avid reader of poetry, but that night it all made sense. I witnessed the raw and honest power poetry has to express and celebrate the human condition.
Wow, what an experience. It would have been great to meet him in person. I would have loved that opportunity, but even just to hear him read his own work must have been awe-inspiring.
Thanks so much for participating in the blog tour, and remember to add your link to Mr. Linky and email it to susan at winabook.
Always glad to hear he had an influence on someone’s life. Ginsberg’s poetry changed the world… for the better.
What an experience that must have been, to hear and see Alan Ginsberg read. I think I would have been too awed to ask for his autograph, as well!
What a nice post and what a lovely memory to share with your sister.
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This is one of the best posts I’ve seen about poetry. You make us get it along with the younger you.
Thanks for sending me the link so I could post this at Win a Book. I might have missed it otherwise. I hope lots of others won’t make the same almost-mistake. (that’s a metaphor for “I’ve posted it at Win a Book for you. Thanks for sending me the link!”)
Another excellent post, Jennifer. I was a big fan of beat authors in college and because Ginsberg was one of them, I checked him out & instantly ‘dug’ his edgy, prose-style poetry. He made me want to explore W. Whitman & W.S. Burroughs, which makes me wonder what (or rather how much) I was smoking back then!
As a fan of your blog, allow me to say that the way you share your passion for reading is an inspiration for us all. Keep ‘em coming.
Great post! Also wanted to stop and say thank you for all your work with the read-a-thon mini challenges.
1st I love Ginsberg!! Howl is one of my favorites.
2nd just popping in to say thanks for being on the mini-challenge organizing team!!
Thanks so much for organizing the mini-challenges for the Dewey Read-a-Thon! I send you happy reading vibes from sunny South Florida.
Hi Jennifer – I wanted to pop in ans wish you a wonderful day of reading! It was fun working on the mini challenges with you
Great post, and how wonderful that you got to meet him in person. His work sounds intense.
Thanks so much for sharing, this must have been a great experience! It definitely shows in your post
GREAT story!! I completely understand regretting your shyness at that time. I have a few similar stories. I try desperately not to regret, but when I think back, there is that little twinge that aches of lost opportunity, but I try my best to never let it happen again!
I wish you had met him, too. When I was an undergraduate (1968 ) I met him a few times when he gave readings at my school. He was the sweetest man I ever met, and the best listener – and such a **real** performer.
I love Howl still – and I’m happy that you showcased him on this Tour.
What a wonderful post! I haven’t read Ginsburg, but you’ve made me want to remedy that. Thanks!
That would have been a great experience being able to see Allen Ginsberg perform before he died, especially at Fountain Street Church. He was a wonderful writer and his works will be loved and studied for years to come.
Personal experiences do help connect you to written works…thanks for sharing your experiences attending the event and for the introduction to Ginsberg.
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