“Every book you could ever need is at City Lights,” lectured Ray Mondini. OK, that may not be a quote. But the words carry his meaning. Ray Mondini was the Art History teacher at the San Francisco Art Institute. It was there that I first heard of Lawrence Ferlinghetti. There are many memories associated with him. The most recent one is of trying to teach myself how to write poetry. What is poetry? In my search for examples, I got a copy of “Poetry As Insurgent Art”, It was one of the best examples of what I was looking for. Here is an excerpt from the book.
I am signaling you through the flames.
The North Pole is not where it used to be.
Manifest Destiny is no longer manifest.
Civilization self-destructs.
Nemesis is knocking at the door.
What are poets for, in such an age?
What is the use of poetry?
And so the lessons began. He goes onto sing, “if you would be a poet…” Do not state, sing. It is time to reread this book and learn more.
And learn again.
~~ MichaelRpdx :: rkmm