submitted by Dale Rosenberg,
"Don't let that horse"
Don't let that horse
eat that violin
cried Chagall's mother
But he
kept right on
painting
And became famous
And kept on painting
The Horse With Violin In Mouth
And when he finally finished it
he jumped up upon the horse
and rode away
waving the violin
And then with a low bow gave it
to the first naked nude he ran across
And there were no strings
attached
-- Lawrence Ferlinghetti
I was surprised to see that only two of Ferlinghetti's poems have made it to
minstrels. He's my favorite of the Beat poets, and this is one of my
favorite poems of his. I love his exuberance and the sheer *fun* of his
poems. In this one I admire his ability to use humor without snarkiness, to
convey the joy of creation of art. I saw him read this one when I was in
high school. I can still see his smile at the last line and hear the
audience's happy laughter.
Dale Rosenberg.