Kaddish For Allen Ginsberg 1926-1997

Glorious! Now to think of your coming – bespectacled and bearlike – brilliant – ursa major – while I ride the rays that irradiate your verse – “Howl, Kaddish and Other Poems” – modesty tantamount – blinding, bright, unwavering barbs, penetrate – shoot forthright: Guruji, Allenji, Yogi Bear.

Kaddish

For

Allen Ginsberg 1926-1997

(a response to Kaddish, Part 1 For Naomi Ginsberg, 1894-1956 by Allen Ginsberg)

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Glorious! Now to think of your coming – bespectacled and bearlike – brilliant – ursa major – while I ride the rays that irradiate your verse – “Howl, Kaddish and Other Poems” – modesty tantamount – blinding, bright, unwavering barbs, penetrate – shoot forthright: Guruji, Allenji, Yogi Bear.

Rest – peace – he found the key Naomi – you said where to find it – where it would be – “The Key is in the window – the Key is in the sunlight at the window”. How true.

Ai, ai, your “little pet” called it his “later burden”, to “illuminate mankind” – a mighty, whitey, weighty, impossible encumbrance – but he carried it – enlightened a many few – from the key in the window – laying its head of light on minds upturned – shining light – burning light – light light – revealing light.

Light flowing, pouring, gushing from bent back, typewriter-tied, hunched faucet Allen – not just another yoga pose – positive light leaps about – streetlamp pools and stated stepping stones – as black and white as sunset strip – incomparable blind streets of shuddering cloud and lightening – black and white – black and light – ebony bars.

This is the light – opposed to the dark – God’s Perfect Darkness – depths to take you – depths to consume – the bars in the light – light and shade – destiny barcoded, step into the light – make your choice – strip sure – life or death.

God’s Perfect Darkness.

Allen chose the light.

Chose the light

Choose the light.

Choose the life.

See the light dappled across the surface of Allen’s existence; every facet blinding-brilliant, scorching sun-kissed incisive diamonds: Orlovsky, Kerouac, Dylan, Kesey. Perfect brilliance. Perfect consilience.

See the imperfections in God’s darkness. See the love in life’s light.

Step from the darkness into the light.

Step from the shadow of the bars.

May his great name be blessed for ever, and to all eternity. Kaddish.

The key was seeing the bars between the sunlight – the key was between the bars – the key was being in the light, between the bars, in the window – and sorry the glare hurt your eyes Naomi – but how your “little pet” did shine.