Author Information
CHANTING OF "OM"
Folder:
SYD BARRETT AVENUE
I am vaguely familiar
with the chanting
of “Om!”
as Beatnik poets meet
to discuss the future of
the past lives of
all our
great poets
and it all goes beyond me
There’s nothing sufficient
to carry me
on thru the night
as the chants
of “Om”
rise
flying above my head
and I am forced
to reckon
with their power
“Om!” “Om!”
It goes on
and on
and yet still
I haven’t
the foggiest
what it means
May 1, 1986
This is very well put,
This is very well put, especially those last two stanzas. I was acquainted, back in the dinosaur days, with some wanna-be beats, and I never quite understood what it was all about.
Starward
The shame of it is that I am
The shame of it is that I am a fan of many of the Beat poets. I don't necessarily agree with everything but I admire and was greatly influenced by much of the work. Of course, like most things, the followers don't always maintain the pure vision and the dream. What did Freud commonly say later in life "I'm glad I'm not a Freudian." I guess there is some truth to that. thank you for reading and commenting.
I was told---and please
I was told---and please correct me if I am wrong; as I defer to your knowledge of those poets---that they did much to bring Haiku (and, I guess, Tanka, also) to the attention of America. Certainly every poet should be grateful to them for that.
Starward
Kerouac was big on haiku. I
Kerouac was big on haiku. I don't know that they got it all correct but the Beats were instrumental in introducing Zen Buddhism and Japanese poetry forms to American and Western audiences.