POEM OF THE DAY -- "63RD CHORUS" (from San Francisco Blues) by Jack Kerouac

63RD CHORUS

This poem by Kerouac is from his book "Book of Blues", which is a posthumous compilation of some of his short form poetry, written in his own "blues format".  Kerouac's blues format poetry is basically an ad-libbing on paper...sort of like verbal or word "riffing" in a way (as a guitar player I get this totally).  In his own words:

"In my system, the form of blues choruses is limited by the small page of the breastpocket notebook in which they are written, like the form of a set number of bars in a jazz blues chorus, and so sometimes the word-meaning can carry from one chorus into another...It's all gotta be non stop ad libbing within each chorus, or the gig is shot."

Love it!

JULIEN LOVE'S JUDGEMENT

By Jack Kerouac

"Seriously boy
This San Francisco
      Blues of yours
Like Shark Fins
      the summer before
And was it Sarie
Sauter Finnegan
   Some gal before --
   It's a farce
   For funny you
                   you know?
I don't think I'll buy it"

  Slit in the ear
   By a bolo knife
  Savannah kid just nodded
  At the beast that
   Hides.

 Secret
 Poetry
 Deceives
Simply