Monday, April 20, 2015

Another Side of Berkeley









One of a a dwindling number,
A continuously-occupied  Hippie house,
Living members of the original Hippie population 
Are believed to still inhabit its quaint premises




 

The Flaneur discovers a ley line and follows to its illogical conclusion







This tree is a helpful reminder
That the mushrooms are coming on now






  "Watermelon Smile"
A grotesque oak








 Twenty years ago I took part in symposia
 On the Beat Generation held by the Bancroft library,
A Jewish psychology lady proclaimed, 
"I'm not seeing enough Jewishness!"
 I replied, "Not enough Jewishness?!
You've heard of the "White Negro"?
The Beats were the Goy Jews!"
Goes double for the hippies
(Dylan, Lenny, Balin, Graham, et al)
Kerouac was the original Beat,
Ginsberg was the original Hippie





 A rack of Tallises, a scarf or shawl,
Worn for morning prayers and at Yom Kippur only
Above it some merchandise from the gift shop
A Shofar horn-trumpet just like the one
 Joshua used to topple the battlements of Jericho,
A menorah, an image of the Temple in Jerusalem,
Russian-style Passover ritual objects
Once a month the congregation provides
A copious meal for the poor with extra to food take home
Heap load of mitzvah on that







From those dizzying heights
I glided back downtown,
Taking refuge in an empty Buddhist roost







19 April 2015

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