Paper Bag

[dr_con]

Paper Bag 4/7/YoP
Con/Jur/d

You couldn’t write
your way out of a paper bag
he sd

I sd
I always admired Kerouac
his commitment to the craft
mounting a spool of Butcher
Paper he was able to write
an entire novel without break
the writing became his life
his life became what was 
written blurring distinctions
between Map and Territory
and yes the novel could
be folded 
could transcend 
and include 
the language
his story

I’ve heard The Teacher sd
after it was copied
He made a giant packet
and crawled inside like
he was a giant steak
worn down from
benzedrine and caffeine
sure but what drained him
was glossolalia tapped
and tamed for his art

and he was trying
to get something back
the sound of a solo horn
the clack clack clack of
rails or the hallucinatory
flash of jazz just before 
he fell asleep and met
Mara and began
His career as 

We know this story she sd
OK OK alone beneath
a tree just shy of the
Border when Ol’ Bill
who was chasing
Fireflies with
his scythe

Along the hedgerow
came across Jack
truced up ready to go
daddy go and in his nasal-
gravel he sd 
What do we 
have here?

A story or 
something real?
and the artist sd
OOOOH I’m so very
very tired

Ol’ Bill recognizes Jack
and decides to play a little 
trick on him Hey Jack he sd
How do you get out 
of a paper grave 
which is locked 
from the outside?

And Jack Screams 
and Screams and
Kicks and Kicks

reducing the paper-bag
back to its original pulp
standing up from 
the shreds 
on the 
Edge

of the field
Between dry rocks
and scrub pines he sd

Thank you!
Thank You
Now I’m the poet
I always was
meant to be
having finally
learned how 
to write my 
way out.

[Tinker]

Obviously your paper bag is filled with a whole lot more content than my paper bag that was absolutely empty yesterday.  I couldn't even make myself read the day's offerings let alone write more that 5 dumb lines.  I'm impressed you created this fascinating epic on a malaise day.

~~Judi

[tonyv]

On 4/8/2020 at 2:06 PM, Tinker said:

Obviously your paper bag is filled with a whole lot more content than my paper bag that was absolutely empty yesterday.  I couldn't even make myself read the day's offerings let alone write more that 5 dumb lines.

I'm much worse than you, Judi!!!

On 4/8/2020 at 2:06 PM, Tinker said:

I'm impressed you created this fascinating epic on a malaise day.

Same here.

Feels like we've gone back to the Beat generation, Juris. Now, how do I get out of this paper bag?

Tony