Kerouac’s fly
in the cabinet
may be dead
but I have this image
in my head
of the fly
writing poetry
and indeed
it’s Kerouac
who is dead
but the beat goes on
and on
so says the song
I wonder of the legacy
of the fly
immortalised in haiku form
a variation of the norm
and beat goes on
stomping my feet
to the rhythm of the street
my copy of Kerouac
discretely hidden
a shoplifter’s cache
in my jacket pocket
I look back
and sneak a peek
and the beat goes on
but the fly
beats wings no more
and many of his kindred
lay splattered
on the windshields
of numerous cars
on the road
but if he’d made it
what a story
he’d have told
if Kerouac
hadn’t imprisoned him
in the cabinet
Author notes
Written August 29th, 2006
A contest entry
- Beat Poetry by Nam.
2500 points, ended September 18, 2006, 13 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 13 of 13
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Interesting
This is certainly an interesting poem - and does it contain a somewhat barbed comment on the futility of the Beats? Actually I rather liked Kerouac - at least he had a strong patriotic and cnnoservative side to him. Still i can't resist quoting a "Time" Magazine review of "Big Sur" to the effect that: "It ends with a mystical experience which in an adult would be called the DTs"
I thought at first it might refer to fly-buttons, but this is a better idea.
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Hey. I know the haiku. One of his best. A good exercise. I like where you took it!
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WOW! That one is funny and yet I feel sad for the winter fly. Well penned. Kerouac comes across as a haijin with surprising aha moments. I would never have thought of noting down about a dead fly in my medicine cabinet. LOL. OF all places, the medicine cabinet!! Hahahaa... Cheers!
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hi charly and thanks
here is Kerouac's haiku
in my medicine cabinet
the winter fly
has died of old age
Kerouac
cheers
col -
Great fun - I enjoyed the allusions and the idea of the fly dead but still alive in the words of the poem.
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Good!
I enjoyed this! It was fun. Personally I enjoyed the repetition, of the fly. I kept thinking, we can never kill the fly, so I was a little disappointed (only as the story went) the fly, originally dead, came back again, then... stopped. Ah, but the brothers and sisters linger as a reminder!
Good work
Sincerely -Emmjay -
I remember I bought many years ago (mid-sixties) a small album somewhere in Copenhagen from a hippie. And it had a same kind of drum rhythm. Somewhat longer sentences an strophes but I a way it came back in remembering as had a same kind of humour. Indeed this one has some flaws but as you wrote it as a exercise not bad. You might be abled to work this way out some more maybe with another subject. The I wrote about had a horse as subject, I think you have it in you to amaze us with some more.
Keep us smiling
Wim -
I am certainly no expert, but somehow, the repitition just does not do it for me...best of luck
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LOL! I really enjoyed this. A nice humorous poem that definitely made me smile and enjoy it. What is the haiku from Kerouac's pen which inspired this? What are the rules of writing a beat poem? The image of a fly writing poetry is an unforgettable one with an excellent aha moment!
All the best,
Charly
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A contest poem written for fun would be 95% on it's way to winning I reckon.
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thanks dave
yep i see where you are coming from
but the fly is from one of kerouac's haiku
and they as you know are image based
i wrote this more as a fun exercise and don't really expect to win
col -
Well, as far as a "poem" goes, it's not a bad effort, just a few flaws in you way of thinking in my humble opinion. Your line(s).. "but I have this image
in my head"
wouldn't work in true beat style because the poet wouldn't see an image per se, he/she would "live" it. The image would be an all consuming mindset and the writer would therefore have no image, but life. I hope you understand what I'm getting at. It's like an LSD hit. Hallucinations become life.
The rhyming of feet - street is a little tacky but maybe this was the intention.
I like the non use of punctuation though, kept me reading and drawn.
Overall an enjoyable read.
Dave. -
This works really well, Col
Although I'm not too familiar with Kerouac the allusions to him and his work was well done.
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