Poets with birthdays in June...Allen Ginsberg

Now there's a name to be reckoned with when it comes to mid-20th century literature: Allen Ginsberg. Think of him, think of Kerouac...think of the Beat Generation.

At the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Kerry said: "As an icon of the Beats, Ginsberg was involved in countless political activities, including protests against the Vietnam War, and he spoke openly about issues that concerned him, such as free speech and gay rights agendas."

Of course, these topics aren't shocking in 2013, but they were whispered about, if spoken about at all in the 1950s and 60s, I know.

Ginsberg
(photos
Wikimedia)

Kerry quoted the first lines of Ginsberg's poem Howl, then said: “However, times have changed. Here we are in the second decade of the Twenty First Century, and I'm wondering if we have anything to howl about... If you do have a rant, then let us hear it.”

Yes, ma'am, I have a rant. Indeed I do. I hope Ginsberg would have liked it. I know he might have liked the first two stanzas, and I think he would have agreed with me.

Homemade Apocalypse

Kerouac

we’re an endangered species, man,

we just have to face it

this world soon will be destroyed

Mankind will erase it

animals, they’re not digging wells

for oil, and they’re not fracking! 

brains to see what Man has done...

that’s what Man is lacking!

debates rage on

and on

and on

and we’ll still be debating

when oil’s all gone

and Earth’s shut down—

now where’s your octane rating?

way back in the 19th century, man, 

electric cars 

were invented 

but gas was cheaper, 

went faster 

and farther,

carrying the grim reaper

sure, solar power's

expensive to install

but dig that geothermal...

man, it’s nearly cheap as gas

and when apocalypse comes to pass

we’ll be glad

we didn’t have

a backyard nuclear reactor

right now so many power sources

(except sled dogs, and carriage horses)

can kill us all

if they shut down

or blow us up

and we’re the clowns

for allowing the powers-that-be

to produce our electricity

by burning natural gas

Kipling knew it in 1907,

man, he didn’t say

“Alberta is heaven”

he said the city

near our house

“has all hell for a basement”

Note: the electricity in our house is produced in Medicine Hat, next to the South Saskatchewan River, using the reserves of natural gas under the ground.