a special thank you to the incredibly talented Justin Clark for his work.As a teenager when I was first exposed to Allen Ginsberg's poems, I never knew poetry could be so emotionally raw and lovely and vulgar and sexual and radical and politcal all at the same time. Through reading his poetry, I felt less isolated and in ways, freedom to be able to express and revel in who I was and the everyday life I lived. There was liberation in writing, in activism, in celebration, in poetry, in sunflowers down by the railyard. By showing me the beauty in reflecting the realities of life, he taught me new ways of writing to express what I longed to be able to communicate. With wide, grateful eyes, I'll forever look up to him as my literary father.
Song by Allen Ginsberg, Published in Howl and Other Poems, 1956
That is the BEST Ginsberg tattoo I have ever seen! Brilliant and touching. I was one of Allen's TAs.
ReplyDeleteImpressive tattoo! Did you see the movie "Howl"? What did you think of it?
ReplyDeleteThank you Steve! and wow.. I can only imagine what it must have been like to know him. Thank you for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteJonas, I really enjoyed the Howl movie. I wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I read about it beforehand. I think the animated parts threw me a little. But it possibly added color and life to his poetry that actors could not have provided.