Allen Ginsberg, "America" (was Re: Patriotism)

Michael Yates mikey+ at pitt.edu
Thu Feb 24 07:09:27 PST 2000


Thanks for this post. This is a great Ginsberg poem. The last line is so moving!

Michael yates

Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
>
> >So what is patriotism? Is there a left form of it?
> >Joseph Noonan
>
> A left form of patriotism in the USA is mainly expressed as a jeremiad -- a
> negative Americanism, as it were. Here's an example -- a queer American
> jeremiad from la vie de bohème. A hipster but no red-baiter. (The
> character type that is missing in today's cyber-bohemian life). America,
> when will you be worthy of your million leftists -- most of them partisans
> and "sectarians" of one kind or another -- who have given you all and ended
> up nothing? Yoshie
>
> ***** America
>
> by Allen Ginsberg
>
> America I've given you all and now I'm nothing.
> America two dollars and twentyseven cents January 17, 1956.
> I can't stand my own mind.
> America when will we end the human war?
>snip



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