POEM OF THE DAY -- "Constantly Risking Absurdity" by San Francisco Poet Laureate Lawrence Ferlinghetti

I am a wild soul. Therefore, when one of our Twitter friends suggested Ferlinghetti, followed by another follower suggesting "a Beat Poet" in general, I reverted to my early roots and thought YES! YES! I need this blast from the past.

Long famous for his decision to publish Ginsberg's classic poetic rant "Howl" - and his association with Jack Kerouac and other famous and influential thinkers of the time, Ferlinghetti was an accomplished poet in his own right. In fact, he was named San Francisco Poet Laureate - which, if you think of it, is pretty meaningful considering the wealth of revolutionary culture going on there in North Beach. So, walk into the City Lights Bookstore, look around, buy a bottle of wine across the street (in a bag) and sit in the park and drink it -

- and channel Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Ferlinghetti until you're silly drunk (I've done this - but that's a story for another time). Enjoy Ferlinghetti week!!!

Constantly Risking Absurdity

by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Constantly risking absurdity
and death
whenever he performs
above the heads
of his audience
the poet like an acrobat
climbs on rime
to a high wire of his own making
and balancing on eyebeams
above a sea of faces
paces his way
to the other side of the day
performing entrachats
and sleight-of-foot tricks
and other high theatrics
and all without mistaking
any thing
for what it may not be
For he's the super realist
who must perforce perceive
taut truth
before the taking of each stance or step
in his supposed advance
toward that still higher perch
where Beauty stands and waits
with gravity
to start her death-defying leap
And he
a little charleychaplin man
who may or may not catch
her fair eternal form
spreadeagled in the empty air
of existence

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