Exquisite Corpse - A Journal of Letters and Life

Six Poems
by Terry Jacobus || Author's Links

The Poet Gods Gathered

in the spirit of sacred
memory we all gathered
at the Kerouac fest in 82
and even though the future
fences would be mended
it was the immaculate view
of wisdom I remember
while in a circle of poet gods
Ginsberg, Corso, Berrigan
and others
that Ed Dorn appeared
wearing his aviators
in a t-shirt with the
outline of the United States
filled in with working class faces
as he approached
skimming the tangent
of the poet's sphere
the poets said to Ed,
"So are you here for the reading?"
"No," Ed simply replied
whisking fingers through his hair
taking a deep black and white
hit off his Camel
"I'm out to buy hinges."
the doors of perception
fixed
never making a sound

That's Part of God Too

I knew a slender touch
of the brothers pleasure
and pain
cause I worked and played
with the borthers
all my city life
and I know it's a joke
to think it might be the same
a white brother
Chicago soul mapped
everywhere on my face
dancing straight up
only drop of milk
on the floor
4 am with Salome Washington
at the Stamp On Inn
leg rubbing like pretty dogs
watching the sun rise
near the garbage
in the alley
that's part of god too

The Jack Nicholson Poem

back in the day
when I worked for the
Chicago Film Festival
and they debuted "Cuckoo's Nest"
at the Granada theater
I went to a party at Bonwit Tellar's
everyone in tuxes
me in patched beret
and there's Jack grinning that
Jack grin
almost everybody bowing and
intimidated by him
so I recall what he once yelled
to Walt Frazier as he was about
to shoot a free throw in the tense
NBA finals
"Hey Frazier, you're the third best guard
in the league and you don't move up until
somebody dies!"
I sauntered towards him with my busy mind
introduce myself , shaking hands and say
"Hey Jack I hear you're the third best actor
in Hollywood and you don't move up until
somebody dies."
He just raised his eyebrows and gave me
the Sardonic famous smile
"You got it wrong kid, they're dead already."

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendeship

Sometimes in Eternity

sometimes in eternity
when nobody's listening
we ask god to
hear what's being said

To Love You Now
(for Susan Karat)

to love you now
though I pretend
I dream our union
taking place
again your eyes
burn through my
face
scars that won't
erase the way I love
this night
this day
I beg this night forever
stay as love that pleads
to have you
lay upon my bed
to love you now
though I pretend

God Gave Us the Sun

god gave us the sun
but technology and greed
took it away
once a star to bathe in
is now a star
to be protected from
too bad the great learning
takes so long to learn
hopefully the old souls
with light years of wisdom
experience and infinite
baggage
can convince Science
to give us our star back
allowing us to take
one more step
on the road to god
saving ourselves as ourselves
burning bright forever

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