America The Ongoingly Surreal 1960's Poem by Warren Falcon

hydrogen jukebox

my mind's not right

what thou lovest well
brown cricket:

yellow fog that
rubs its back upon
degrees of gray
sky flashes, the
great sea yearns

land of a thousand dances:

ach du ach du
the twist
the swim
the chicken
the monkey
the dog
the watusi
the jerk
the bump
the bounce
the surf
the big bee
the thunderbird
the bradstreet
the poe poe
the doo ron ron
the little boy
the fat man
the lynching tree
the Dallas mall
the Memphis bullet
the Malcolm
the Medgar
the L.A. ballroom
the Havana
the Hanoi

pull down thy vanity
Sweet Charity

nothing gold can stay
in a book that is shining

SECOND DRAFT

America The Ongoingly Surreal 1960's

as it was in the beginning
is now and ever shall be
Absurd without end
the Got-ter-dam-merung rung rung rung
the Got-ter-dam-merung rung rung
(sung the tune of Da Doo Ron Ron Ron - Da Doo Ron Ron)

further evidence:

hydrogen jukebox

my mind's not right

what thou lovest well
brown cricket:

yellow fog that
rubs its back upon
degrees of gray
sky flashes,
the great sea
heavy bored
slicked with rain
returned to a meadow
dance slowing
in the mind of man

land of a thousand dances:

ach du ach du
with a burning violin

du du du
the twist
the swim
the chicken
the monkey
the dog
the watusi
the jerk
the bump
the bounce
the surf
the big bee
the thunderbird
the bradstreet
the poe poe
the doo ron ron
the little boy
the fat man
the lynching tree
the Dallas mall
the Memphis bullet
the Malcolm
the Medgar
the Bobby
the Emmet Till
endlessly rocking
the Havana
the Hanoi
the poi dogs pondering
the Gotterdammerung
the Gotterdammerung

sweet charity
pull down thy vanity

nothing gold can stay
in a book that is shining