.
.
Jack fights back
from off the Beaten track
still alive
at 100
as if any of us ever wondered
if THAT would happen
after his track star sprint —
through the pages of history,
seeing around corners like Neal at the wheel,
knockin over grammar cops
and blowin past the door stops
to hidden darkened jazz joints
puffin on a Mezz joint
never missing THE point
of dancing with the mad ones
and singing with the sad ones
and drinking with the bad ones
and skipping past the madhouse
and steering clear the jailhouse
heading for his mom’s house
to write another epic
soaring while he’s manic
catchin’ all the magic
of mysteries dark & vast,
he channeled spirits till the last
he hitched the roads, had a blast
he wrote it down really fast.
Now it’s 50 since he passed
let’s hoist his flag up our mast
salute the work he amassed
“Have you ever seen a canon so vast?”
So let us all
take a moment to thank
the Pollard for the books
the Young Prometheans for the camaraderie
the Columbia cabal for “The New Vision”
Neal Cassady for The Letter
Bill Cannastra for the paper
Joan Haverty for the apartment
Malcolm Cowley for the championing
Gilbert Millstein for the reviewing
David Amram for the playing
Allen Ginsberg for the . . . everything
Lowell for the Celebrating
You for the being
We for the seeing
The glowing light of the golden eternity!
.
Thank you Jack for all you shone.
.
.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Here’s when I closed the show with it at the Kerouac at 100 centennial show in Lowell in 2022 —
.
And here’s when it was part of the 3-piece set at the Amramless Jam in 2023 . . .
.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
.
For more Adventures in Jack check The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jack Kerouac.
Or there’s the connective How The Beats Begat The Pranksters.
Or to complete the Beat Trilogy there’s On The Road with Cassadys.
Or here’s where you can read the tale of Jack’s 100th birthday celebrations in Lowell in 2022.
Or for some background on the late great Bill Cannastra check out this piece.
Or for more on LCK (Lowell Celebrates Kerouac) here’s a happy riff on it.
.
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by Brian Hassett — karmacoupon@gmail.com — BrianHassett.com
Or here’s my Facebook account if you wanna join in there — https://www.facebook.com/Brian.Hassett.Canada
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11 responses so far ↓
1 Dale "Gubba" Topham // Sep 30, 2019 at 11:28 AM
Thanks Brian
now I feel like
“…everything’s been returned
which was ‘ode’
On the back of the fish truck
that loads
While my conscience explodes…”
–
Wish I was gonna be there to
hear it live.
You’ll just have to imagine
Gubba out there
yelling “Hey Brother!”
or “Go Go Go!”
2 Brian // Sep 30, 2019 at 12:17 PM
Gubba — Thanks! When I was writing it, I wanted to write something that would make you (and Philip) go “Whoa!!” from the audience. 😀
I was hearing / seeing you in front of me. This should really be dedicated to you two — the best audience members a guy could hope for. 😉
3 Phil Thomas // Sep 30, 2019 at 1:09 PM
That’s awesome, Brian. Can’t wait to hear it live.
I’m grateful you appreciate our enthusiasm and love for you and LCK.
4 Cynthia Johnston // Sep 30, 2019 at 2:32 PM
Wowee! Pow! Fizz! Whoop! Weep! Wop Bop Kazart! yes Yes.YES!!! And, of course, Selah!
5 Phil Linz // Sep 30, 2019 at 3:42 PM
Freakin’ wonderful! Works as a poem & prob even more so as song. Looking forward to LCK, less than two weeks away. Will see you & the rest of the Beat tribe there!
6 Brian Humniski // Sep 30, 2019 at 6:38 PM
Looking forward to the live interpretation in Lowell!
7 Marthalee Aykroyd // Sep 30, 2019 at 8:11 PM
“…never missing THE point
of dancing with the mad ones
and singing with the sad ones
and drinking with the bad ones
and skipping past the madhouse…”
Freakin brilliant … the whole thing but love this bit.
8 Sharon Scott // Oct 1, 2019 at 11:42 AM
Wow! Could you or somebody maybe rap this or similar?
9 Brian // Oct 1, 2019 at 1:45 PM
Yep — it’s sort of a rap piece. 🙂 I’ll be performing it live next weekend — twice, with two different musical ensembles. All shows will be filmed for future release, but they might also be live-streamed on Facebook — 6 – 7PM Saturday, and around 2PM Sunday (Eastern). 🙂
10 Lilliane Fiola // Oct 4, 2019 at 2:14 PM
Wish I could be there in Lowell to hear this live!
11 Brian Humniski // Oct 5, 2019 at 12:52 AM
The Worthen calls.
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