BillyBlog's Favorite Poems, #24 ( A Handful of Richard Brautigan)

Richard Brautigan, who committed suicide in 1984 , is best known for the book Trout Fishing in America. His poetry has loyal fans. I discovered him by accident in college and gobbled up what I could of this quirky writer's oeuvre. He was labeled by many as a "hippie writer," but he transcends that label. His poems are beautiful treasures that shine like daffodils in lava fields.

Here's a handful for your perusal:

"The Shenevertakesherwatchoff Poem"

For Marcia

Because you always have a clock
strapped to your body, it's natural
that I should think of you as the
correct time:
with your long blonde hair at 8:03,
and your pulse-lightning breasts at
11:17, and your rose-meow smile at 5:30,
I know I’m right.


"Xerox Candy Bar"

Ah,
you're just a copy
of all the candy bars
I've ever eaten.


"Gee, You're So Beautiful That It's Starting to Rain" Oh, Marcia,

I want your long blonde beauty
to be taught in high school,
so kids will learn that God
lives like music in the skin
and sounds like a sunshine harpsichord.
I want high school report cards
to look like this:

Playing with Gentle Glass Things
A

Computer Magic
A

Writing Letters to Those You Love
A

Finding out about Fish
A

Marcia’s Long Blonde Beauty
A+!

~

and a YouTube interpretation of that last one, with Brautigan's voice:



All poems are from The Pill Versus the The Springhill Mine Disaster. Click link to read more, including other favorites like "Discovery" and "I've Never Had It Done So Gently Before".








Previous Favorite Poems for National Poetry Month:


#25 - "A Buddha in the Woodpile" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
#26 - "Separation" by W.S. Merwin
#27 - "The Flea" by John Donne
#28 - Poem Twenty from Pablo Neruda's Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair
#29 - "Magpie's Song" by Gary Snyder
#30 - "Eunoia" by Christian Bok