Chicago Story - Shakespeare's Monkeys

Chicago Story

I am droop lid
Toilet seat humor
Listless edgy cracker
Jazz type linguist
Back alley rumble flow
Kerouac beat echo
Without the self-doubt.

We today is stellar
in our ignorance.
We today is millionaires.
We today is lost,
tagged, tracked,
boxed up, sent out
and purchased by ourselves.
Concrete defines us;
wires connect,
and any hint of human
is instantly denied.
We today has checked out.
We today is fiiiine
and in control.
We is iron lyrics,
harsh and yellow.
Too indifferent to make us understood.

We remain small and afraid
and take out onto Clinton Av. :
gray and utterly human
and inhospitable to yellow
teeth and $1.00 newspapers.
We not cares about
where youse slept last night;
or, more importantly,
when you had your last drink.
We are not proud of you
because we do not see you,
even when we buy a paper.
When the $1.00 slips from one palm...
Only in our harsh iron thoughts
we register we have touched
yellow teeth skin...
Hoping they have refilled
the liquid soap dispensers
back at the office.

Anstey -
Dude, you're going to make me read this like a hundred times to figure it out, aren't you?

The first stanza, i thought maybe you were going in a really nonsensical direction, but you aren't at all. I think that first stanza is tight and actually did lead me where i needed to be to suddenly flip over into the second and third. The broken agreement in the verbs seemed slightly reminiscent of early 19th century slave-grammar, almost Twain like, and I found it to be very powerful and evocative of the old Chicago jazz you're so clearly pointing towards throughout.

The rhythm of this also held me firm and referred back to the offbeat of good jazz, whilst holding on to a poetic lyric that flowed well upon reading aloud.

Now, as far as meaning, I think i might need some help, and further readings.

stephan

Anstey -
See, I didn't read this as a Kerouac poem at all. Yes, he's referred to, but I didn't see this as much an homage to Kerouac as an echo of Beat in general... and perhaps more straight Jazz. In that sense he's not out of his depth at all. But certainly there's no Maggie Cassady in here.

stephan