Sunday, November 23, 2008

The Sunday Poem: Early Richard Brautigan



Here's Richard Brautigan's title poem from The Galilee Hitchhiker:




The Galilee Hitchhiker, Part I

Baudelaire was
driving a Model A
across Galilee.
He picked up a
hitch-hiker named
Jesus who had
been standing among
a school of fish
feeding them
pieces of bread.
"Where are you
going?" asked
Jesus, getting
into the front
seat.
"Anywhere, anywhere
out of this world!"
shouted
Baudelaire.
"I'll go with you
as far as
Golgotha,"
said Jesus.
"I have a
concession
at the carnival
there, and
I must be
late."
Richard Brautigan




Consider your Sunday obligations fulfilled.


best,
Don
at

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 23, 2008 at 9:32 AM

    Don:

    The Brautigan posting is quite interesting. Thanks. I had never seen that particular photo before. "The Galilee Hitch-Hiker" was reprinted in its entirety in "The Pill vs The Springhill Mine Disaster" (l968). "The Pill . . ." is listed on my old copy as "the selected poems 1957-1968 of RICHARD BRAUTIGAN". I bought my paperback copy (the one with Miss Marcia Pacaud on the cover) in l971. "The Pill . . . " is currently available in one of the three "three book each" Houghton-Mifflin reprints, often found now in bookstores. The only other single-copy Brautigan poetry book I have is "Rommel Drives On Deep Into Egypt" (1970), which is not reprinted in the three Houghton-Mifflin compilations. I've seen the earlier Brautigan poetry books for sale on internet in the thousands of dollars, including "The Galilee Hitch-Hiker"; it's incredible.

    Another favorite Sunday morning meditation is Wallace Stevens' "Sunday Morning" from "Harmonium".

    Complacencies of the peignoir!

    Jeffery

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  2. GregNovember 23, 2008 at 9:46 AM

    thanks for posting that poem. the more Brautigan i read, the more i like.

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  3. Charles GramlichNovember 23, 2008 at 11:11 AM

    LOL.

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  4. Issa's Untidy HutNovember 24, 2008 at 6:51 AM

    Jeffrey, thanks much for the editorial notes, I'd forgotten that it was reprinted (but knew I'd read it somewhere else). I know I have Pill around here somewhere ... and, yes, the Stevens poem is stunning.

    Greg and Charles, I think B opened so many doors for all of us by just simply walking in and leaving them open, with lots of laughter and love ...

    Don

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  5. Theresa WilliamsMay 25, 2012 at 2:24 AM

    This is one of my favorite Brautigan poems. Life as a carnival! Jesus' calm resignation in the face of death is one of this poem's greatest features.

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  6. Issa's Untidy HutMay 25, 2012 at 12:02 PM

    Glad you like this one, too, Theresa.

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