Bohemian Nightfall
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, NaPoMo 2009, Poetry, action, american sentence, dark drama, homage, humor noir, music, mystery, satire, sensuality, suspense, wisdom
NaPoMo poem #11
This is the eleventh of the poems I will be writing each day here in April, in honor of National Poetry Month, as proclaimed by the Academy of American Poets.
This poem is inspired by three past and two upcoming films — which were based, sometimes loosely, on four timeless novels.
The past movies are: David Cronenberg’s 1991 film “Naked Lunch“, adapted from the William S. Burroughs novel of the same name; and Terry Gilliam’s 1998 film “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas“, adapted from the Hunter S. Thompson novel of the same name; and finally, Julie Taymor’s 2007 film “Across the Universe“, screenplay by Dick Clement and Ian LaFrenais.
The upcoming movies are: Walter Salles’ film “On the Road“, which will be an adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel of the same name: and Gus Van Sant’s film “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test“, which will be an adaptation of the Tom Wollfe novel of the same name.
• NOTE: these poems will all essentially be early drafts, so edits may occur after their initial posting.
Bohemian Nightfall
•
when night fell on bohemia
the streets were set ablaze
in black light
in strobe light
in tie-dyed psychedelia
when night fell on bohemia
jack and neal were on the road
ridin’ with the fire-whores
of angst and indignation
combustin’ carnal fireballs
when night fell on bohemia
allen was howl’n pal’n with corso but still long’n for peter *
hunter, groin deep
in the brain-drug carnival
fantasy flesh festival
…hunter was fearful
loathing the bright lights
but amused by it all
when night fell on bohemia
bill stood stark naked
lunchin’ with the devil
jelly-rollin’ in a demon’s fire
when night fell on bohemia
gary headed for cold mountain
to watch it all
from his sourdough tower
while electric bob
went subterranean
when night fell on bohemia
ken gathered the faithful
on the magic bus
rocket fueled by tim
and stole off with the future
like mad-capped pranksters
to take it all
ever further
• • •
rob kistner © 2009
___________________________
*third stanza is a 17-syllable American Sentence, a form created by Ginsberg
• you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem
April 15th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Thanks for Bohemian Nightfall. I have read much about the Beats. I was 18 years or so, a G.I. serving in Germany in the late 50’s when Kerouac’s On The Road came out. It was not available at our base, but when I returned to the states in Jan, ‘59, a 20-year-old artist dreamer, the Beats became my heros. I was not a writer then, visual arts were my medium, but I was an avid reader. And I read ‘em all. (I remember reading Burroughs for the first time when his writing appeared in - I think - Big Table - a Chicago literary quarterly. (I was attending the American Academy of Art in Chicago at the time.) Drew me in even more. I never got to a beret at the time (grin), but I did get a wooden flute and an African bongo-type drum.
Sometimes syncronicities (sp? - sins -crow-nicely?)
kindly emerge. Many years later I met Burroughs briefly at a party, I met John Clellon Holmes - who wrote an introduction to a book of drawings/commentaries published by a university press, and through Holmes I got to meet Ken Kesey , his cousins, and two ladies in the group who had known - fairly well - Neal Cassidy. (one degree of seperation? - hmmm…) Oh, well…ah, wail…. I still keep art journals, drawing and writing, playing with both words and images. I appreciate your poem. It
triggers many good feelings and memories.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:02 am
Ralph -
I loved your response. I’m so pleased my piece sparked good memories for you…
Of the people I refer to in the poem, I’ve met Kesey a couple times, as well as Leary, Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and Bob Dylan… Most of those folks I met from having toured with my rock band, Stone Fox. I was our lead vocalist and percussionist — and still own and play a djembe and indian clay drums - my son has a full trap set of drums, as well as electronic V•Drums - he is awesome…
Ralph, drop me a comment again some time…
…rob