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
No comments:
Post a Comment