Thursday, December 11, 2008

Ode To Captain B

The last post reminded me of this, which appeared in Monday Night # 2, and is probably more a rant than a poem but what the hell.

ODE TO CAPTAIN B

But I like writing that’s difficult. I like music that’s difficult. Cuz it isn’t difficult for me. Captain Beefheart is my Britney Spears, one catchy dance tune after another. But better dressed, and more attractive. And intelligent, something to aspire to. Songs about Merc Montclairs and human being totem poles, hallucinogenic knowledge of reality. Life as a desert, life as seen by life, not by some visitor. To be the world and hate those who defile it, an ecological religious zeal. It makes so much sense it’s incredible how rare these beliefs are. How selfish other beliefs are, and how self-destructive most of that selfishness is. Destroying where you live to live better, a stunningly grisly illogic. It does need a tune, the truth hurts in just words, Dachau blues those poor Jews. Yeah, and it stuns, pain we can’t fathom but it’s been subjected intentionally from human to human, and I think I will drink now, I think I will drink far too much. Because I’m a part of this planet and don’t know how to stop what it does to itself, if there is a God we are a failed experiment, why didn’t the motherfucker give us some heart. Yay, Mary, where is your boy. Now when we need him, always we need him. If we can’t spare each other we should at least spare the planet but we seem incapable even of that. Those with heart have no strength, those with strength have no heart. Of course everyone wants to kill everyone, with every country run by cocksucking bastards. Who wouldn’t want to kill that, what sort of heathen wouldn’t be a terrorist. Where imperialism is considered relatively peaceful, where political necessity requires immorality. To get what we want we must support torture. How important is what we want. What the fuck do we want. Jesus I just want a beer and a place to stay and occasional sex, a washed body and an unwashed brain. And a place where my children can stand to live. Not just an isolated street but a world. So forgive me if I just don’t get your popular tunes with their lilting little simple melodies. And I understand shrieks and whispers and jokes that aren’t funny. And I am confused all the time, and need words that don’t mock that. And need songs that can be sung by people who don’t look good.

5 comments:

Syd The Squid said...

thanks for that... i feel refreshed...

robp said...

Hey Michael, was definitely thinking of you when I posted this. Didn't know it would refresh, I guess that's just a bonus.

This is from 6 years ago. There was a release party at a local cafe (Nomad in Berkeley) and a small child of one of the owners was running around the otherwise adult room as I stood to read this. The cafe owner told me it was okay but I improvised something where the word 'cocksucker' was supposed to be. The first release party had been in a bar, ah well; I just didn't think my writing coming across accurately was as important as not exposing an infant to language that literally refers to oral sex. Some parent saying "it's ok" when he doesn't know what I'm going to read - hell, even if he'd read it I don't know if I'd have said this in front of a little kid. Sometimes I hate fucking liberals.

Syd The Squid said...

"Sometimes I hate fucking liberals"... oh fuck yes... i aint got no liberals to kick around, but i do have a wet cat & some gallstones... wish i had somethining more meaningful at the end of my foot, but one deals with what one has to deal with...

robp said...

Liberals don't take much space. Give me an address and I'll ship a few your way, although delivery might be slow during Christmas season. Just think Waldo Jeffers.

Cody B said...

and let the stalking begin. sometimes I hate everybody.