# Bleecker Street



## SilverMoon (Nov 25, 2017)

Re-wind me to the beat of Bleecker Street
when no one strolled and window shopped
wearing those “look at me” clothes with
doctored up breasts and a celebrity’s nose.

I have already dug a grave for this day,
deep to China and shaped like decay.

Down they go,
now anachronisms
with a trillion cellphones –
I keep all fault at bay
because they’d all be dead without them, anyway.

At once, I’m in the jive of night,
ambling on the bebop block,
Bleecker Street, where I hear the
twang of guitars in underground bars.

Cars on the curb with back seat bings.
Bad news for Big Daddy but worse
for the beards if they have to beat
the gravel from the pigs on their gig.

The red ring of cigarettes (and no one gives a damn)  
are headlights to “The Bitter End” where Dylan, Baez,
“The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band” and the rest of the set sing
while Wall Street Kings count green and dream of things.

So here, I howl with Ginsberg and ride
on the road with Kerouac. So, I ask you
jack, what can get better than that?

I’m barefooted on Bleecker Street.
Don’t count on me coming back 
from the pulse of the nights 
where I only wear black.


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## CrimsonAngel223 (Nov 25, 2017)

Nice! I love the flow of this poem and the beauty of it, so captivating!


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## SilverMoon (Nov 25, 2017)

Thank you, Crimson. This is the first of a series of Manhattan poems. Was a very cool and interesting place to live.


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## dannyboy (Nov 26, 2017)

nicd work and though i do not know American I know enough of the icons to take me back to my youth. Excellent flow and some great line breaks where the rhyme still occurs but is not forced to hang at the end - ie clothes with/nose. Thank you for the read.


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## andrewclunn (Nov 26, 2017)

I was transported.  Well done.


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## SilverMoon (Nov 26, 2017)

andrewclunn said:


> I was transported.  Well done.



So glad you enjoyed the ride. Thank you, andrew



dannyboy said:


> nice work and though i do not know American I know enough of the icons to take me back to my youth. Excellent flow and some great line breaks where the rhyme still occurs but is not forced to hang at the end - ie clothes with/nose. Thank you for the read.



danny, I love to slant rhyme and notice much of it in your work. So thanks for the nod.


Fellas, I lived on Thompson Street which was just a skip away to "The Bitter End". Great music and folks. Always wondered what it would be like to mingle with the Beats. The next best thing is to place yourself there, as we all well know!


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## midnightpoet (Nov 26, 2017)

I dig that jive. Solid.  I know several people on WF say either rhyme or don't rhyme, but it didn't bother me here.  Should "On The Road" be a quote?  "On" should not be capitalized since no period after "ride." A few others like "Big Daddy" and "Beards" - do they need to be capitalized?  Just a few thoughts, I'm not as familiar with the scene as you are, never lived in N.Y. Good job.


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## SilverMoon (Nov 26, 2017)

> Originally Posted by *midnightpoet *I dig that jive. Solid. I know several people on WF say either rhyme or don't rhyme, but it didn't bother me here. Should "On The Road" be a quote? "On" should not be capitalized since no period after "ride." A few others like "Big Daddy" and "Beards" - do they need to be capitalized? Just a few thoughts, I'm not as familiar with the scene as you are, never lived in N.Y. Good job.



Glad you dug the jive! To answer your question about Kerouac's novel "On the Road". I dispensed with the quotation marks so that title could be viewed as part of text. A sort of play-on. The same applies to "Howl" which is Ginsberg's most notable poem. e.g.

So here, I Howl with Ginsberg and ride
On the Road with Kerouac. So, I ask you
jack, what can get better than that?





> "Big Daddy" and "Beards" - do they need to be capitalized?



I capitalized the Beat jargon to bring attention to it, the meanings e.g.

*B*ack *S*eat *B*ings. Girls who make out in the backseat of cars
Bad news for *B*ig *D*addy but worse You've heard of it- just in keeping
for the Beards if they have to* B*eat the *G*ravel from the* P*igs on their gig "Beat the Gravel" means take off, runaway from.

Thanks so much for your questions, Tony. Surely others might have had the same. 

Have a great day, Big Daddy 'O :cool2:


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## Nellie (Nov 26, 2017)

Thanks for the smooth ride. Enjoyed the rhythm.


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## SilverMoon (Nov 26, 2017)

Thanks, Cindy. That's what I was going for....


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## Firemajic (Nov 26, 2017)

SilverMoon said:


> Re-wind me to the beat of Bleecker Street
> when no one strolled and window shopped
> wearing those “look at me” clothes with
> doctored up breasts and a celebrity’s nose.
> ...





Dear SilverMoon, I would have known this was penned by you, even if it was an anonymous post.... this has your energy,  and zany, wacky, wonderful vibe.. this poem vibrates the senses like a tuning fork... hahahaa.. some of the phrases I did not "get", but I am cool with that, because the mood and imagery was so fabulous... thanks for a radical read...


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## SilverMoon (Nov 26, 2017)

Double WOW, Fire! How great to hear from you and I'd not have to guess who wrote this uniquely fabulous critique. Yes, I can be zany and am glad you "dig" it! 
You've brought:sunny: to this rainy day!


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## nelen (Nov 26, 2017)

Thank you SilverMoon, I always enjoy your poetry, so  and evocative. This takes me back to a very definite period of my life.


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## SilverMoon (Nov 27, 2017)

Hi, nelen.  Given that I'm a fan of your work, I'm so pleased hear that I was able to take you On the Road a distinct point in your life. I plan on writing about the famous literary haunt, White Horse Tavern, where Dylan Thomas drank his alleged his last 18th whisky. 

I'd frequent the White Horse, often wondering if I had ever sat in his booth. How I wish I could have been a fly on that wall. I expect research and imagination might turn me into that very fly! Thank you, nelen.


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## Kevin (Nov 27, 2017)

I liked this. Oh, I had a few tiny re-writes as if how I'd do was better,lol. No
i drive a car older than  three which makes me barefoot without a boobjob ( metaphorically) too.


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## SilverMoon (Nov 27, 2017)

Thank you Kevin. I understand the writer's penchant to bring a bit of one's own voice to a piece. 



> I drive a car older than three which makes me barefoot without a boobjob ( metaphorically) too.



LOL! You need a full-time job for which you have passion. And a good pair of shoes would surely impress your boss.
I'm against plastic surgery and I don't think they make bras in men's sizes. :wink: 

Thank you. Never do I smile when about to tend to bills....


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## Kevin (Nov 27, 2017)

I have considered that if I were to get saggers I would get a lift- maybe when I get there I won't care.
Cars- I could appreciate a well made, middle-European coupe or sedan through the curves.
Only women in shoes impress me.


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## SilverMoon (Nov 27, 2017)

Kevin, this is poetry material!


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## Squalid Glass (Nov 27, 2017)

Ah, you've found a musical quality Ginsberg would be proud of. All the little allusions and puns are great too. 



SilverMoon said:


> Re-wind me to the beat of Bleecker Street
> when no one strolled and window shopped
> wearing those “look at me” clothes with
> doctored up breasts and a celebrity’s nose. *One thing I'd be careful of in a poem like this is judgment. With the Beat feel you've got going, remember that Beat was more about beatific than anything else, as Kerouac said. I like the Imagistic quality here, but I do think it could be written a little more detached so there's less chance of reading a Manhattan snark, if you know what I mean! I'm not saying this is snarky, but it is a thin line.*
> ...


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## Pelwrath (Nov 28, 2017)

I was happy to see that Squalid Glass mentioned Ginsberg, for I found a very beatnik 'rant' to this.

Re-wind me to the beat of Bleecker Street
when no one strolled and window shopped
wearing those “look at me” clothes with
doctored up breasts and a celebrity’s nose. My experience with Ginsberg/Kerouac is new and unfortunately limited to You Tube clips, so far.  To me they raely railed against the individual but the system. This is a 'keeping up with the Joneses' and that is the/a system. It's an enjoyable comment on life.

I have already dug a grave for this day,
deep to China and shaped like decay. I like this, using decay/death as a viable almost positive trait.

Down they go,
now anachronisms
with a trillion cellphones –
I keep all fault at bay
because they’d all be dead without them, anyway Existence justified by an inanimate object's ability to connect us.

At once, I’m in the jive of night,
ambling on the bebop block,
Bleecker Street, where I hear the
twang of guitars in underground bars This has a bouncy and gay feel, good stanza. 

Cars on the curb with Back Seat Bings.
Bad news for Big Daddy but worse
for the Beards if they have to Beat
the Gravel from the Pigs on their gig I would've ended line 2 after Daddy; the 3rd line after Beards. but that's just my rather inexperienced and questionable opinion.

The red ring of cigarettes (and no one gives a damn) 
are headlights to “The Bitter End” where Dylan, Baez,
“The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band” and the rest of the set sing
while Wall Street Kings count green and dream of things.A lovely line, hinting at money as a religion an end all for life, by those who don't live it, just exist in it.

So here, I Howl with Ginsberg and ride
On the Road with Kerouac. So, I ask you
jack, what can get better than that?I do sooo have to read that book.

I’m barefooted on Bleecker Street.
Don’t count on me coming back 
from the pulse of the nights 
where I only wear black I'm alive here, this is life and living and I want to stay.

A lovely poem, with good allusion and imagery. You provide plenty for the reader to ponder and look to.  Thanks for sharing.


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## SilverMoon (Nov 28, 2017)

*Thank you for your input, Joseph and Pelwrath. 

*Joseph, I was anxious for you to read this because you're quite the expert on the Beat Generation and Ginsberg in particular being father of the scene as I understand it.



> Re-wind me to the beat of Bleecker Street
> when no one strolled and window shopped
> wearing those “look at me” clothes with
> doctored up breasts and a celebrity’s nose.
> ...


 Since I'm a novice, I'll be keeping this in mind. While I do like this opening stanza I can see the like in an other piece unrelated to the Beat Movement. Since the opening stanza is crucial to grab the reader's attention, I'll be reading up more before a re-write.



> So here, I Howl with Ginsberg and ride
> On the Road with Kerouac. So, I ask you
> jack, what can get better than that?
> *
> My favorite stanza. The double meaning of "jack" is a great touch. As for the capitalization, it's not needed. The allusions come through clear even without them.*



Glad you like the "jack" reference! Now, I gave much thought as to if I should capitalize. For someone seasoned like yourself, it would not be necessary. But realized this was an assumption when Midnight asked if they should be in quotes. Thanks. And figured it might have been your favorite. And thanks for the other thumbs up!

________________________________________________________________________
*
Glad to meet you, Pelwrath. And thanks for all of your feedback. *



> Cars on the curb with Back Seat Bings.
> Bad news for Big Daddy but worse
> for the Beards if they have to Beat
> the Gravel from the Pigs on their gig
> ...


 Thanks! I will certainly give this consideration. Any opinion is welcomed, more acquainted with subject or not.



> The red ring of cigarettes (and no one gives a damn)
> are headlights to “The Bitter End” where Dylan, Baez,
> “The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band” and the rest of the set sing
> while Wall Street Kings count green and dream of things.
> ...


Wonderful. Exactly what I was going for!

___________________________________________________________________
*Joseph, Pelwrath* - I've just begun reading "The Best Minds Of My Generation - A Literary History of the Beats" by Ginsberg. A compelling read!

Here's the Introduction https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802126499/?tag=writingforu06-20


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## Squalid Glass (Nov 28, 2017)

I'm glad you picked up _Best Minds_. It's been one of the central texts I've been using in my research. Being that it's Ginsberg's actual lectures, there's a lot of great quotes in his unique speech pattern, which I love. _The Portable Beat Reader _by Ann Charters is a great text as well if you're looking for a compilation of works with first-hand commentary.


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## SilverMoon (Nov 28, 2017)

Thanks, I will look into Ann Charter's text. I thought before digging into his works that this book would give me a good footing before the reads. 

Then it will be to Charter! Thanks, again.:read:


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## TuesdayEve (Dec 3, 2017)

It’s a gas, I can dig it.
Enjoyed your poem very much...lot of memories


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## SilverMoon (Dec 4, 2017)

Hot dog! Glad you enjoyed,Tuesday, and that this poem brought you back to the day. Didn't know you were hip to the scene 8) 

Thanks, Laurie


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