[lbo-talk] Carl Rakosi poem

[Carrol Cox]

I don't ever remember reading a poem by Rakosi before; I'm not sure I
ever even heard of him. I also never particularly remember being taken
by a poem on first reading. But the following leaped off the page of the
current American Poetry Review. I had to pass it on to someone.

	DRIVING INTO ABILENE, TEXAS,

	APRIL 17, 1947

	The sun roe here at 6:07 a.m.

	The weather, patchy fof,

	mostly sunny later, Highs 69-75.

	The fellows at THE PERFECT AUTO SHOP

	are kidding around, feeling chipper. . .

			. . . like having four aces,

	The phone rings.

	A voice at the other end says:

	"I need a quote on a water pump."

	"You need a quote?"

	(from one of the aces)

	"I'll give you a quote:

	'To be or not to be,

	that is the question.'"

			   and hangs up!

	A minute later

	the phone rings back.

	A perky voice replies:

	"To sleep, perhaps to dream."

				and hangs up!

	In Abilene?

	These guys have been

	watching the moon too long.

(That question mark after "Abilene" is priceless.)

Carrol