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| Diane di Prima |
Greetings my muddy buddies!!
Izy here to dole out another generous helping of a Toad's Favo(u)rite Poem. In our first installment, I had shared Allen Ginsberg's "America." And, toads, anger not when I confess that I am bringing another beat poem to our landing page today.
Diane di Prima is one of my favorite poets, and one whose work often goes unnoticed in the cold shadows of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and the lot of testosterone driven, politico poems that so often define our thoughts on what is beat and what is not.
So today, we leave Allen and Jack and even good ole Uncle Bill behind and shine a spotlight on Diane di Prima. An author of over 40 books, di Prima once explained her stance toward writing poems. mothering, being a buddhist, and living as, ‘Well, nobody’s done it quite this way before but fuck it, that’s what I’m doing, I’m going to risk it.’
And indeed, she does. So, without further grandstanding or fan girl, hero worshipping, I bring you the uninterrupted work of my favorite poem:
Song for Baby-O, Unborn by Diane di Prima
Sweetheart
when you break thru
you’ll find
a poet here
not quite what one would choose.
I won’t promise
you’ll never go hungry
or that you won’t be sad
on this gutted
breaking
globe
but I can show you
baby
enough to love
to break your heart
forever
My mouth literally dropped open when I finished reading this. Yes! Here's one I wish I had written!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the introduction, Izzy!
I love this! I'd heard of Diane DiPrima in relation to the beat poets, but she really should be acknowledged in her own right. Thank you for doing so!
ReplyDeleteI so much appreciate her poem and grateful for your expose of Diane di Prima
ReplyDeleteoh my lord if that is not just completely perfect. thank you, Izy.
ReplyDeleteI have long known you to be a di Prima fan, and I wish I knew her work better, having read only a few pieces. Your choice of poem today, so resonates with me as I think of both my daughters, now grown and to be both away at university... I do hope that they can find the poems life offers, as well as endure the disappointments they will face.
ReplyDeleteShe reached beyond-it has an anthem to life feel! Thank you Izy for sharing her-she is new to me! I can't wait to read more of her work~
ReplyDeletewheww ... that was dynamite... loved it
ReplyDeleteClear and ringing, simple and real--the best of Beat, and in my mind, a lot better than some of the over-the-top angst of the male writers you mentioned, much as I love them. Thanks, Izy.
ReplyDeleteOH YES! That is it EXACTLY. Wowzers!
ReplyDeleteColor me breathless ...
ReplyDelete(thank you for introducing me to Ms. di Prima!)
That first stanza blew me a way. "You'll find a poet here" is a lackadaisical beat-type understatement to make the testosterone group gasp as I did.
ReplyDeleteFrabjuss, Izy, abso-bloody-lutely frabjuss.
K
Thanks for the introduction to Diane di Prima...I love the poem! I must read more of her work!!
ReplyDeleteAgh. Wonderful poem. Thank you, Izy! Agree with what everyone has said. I have not paid her sufficient attention. Thanks. K .
ReplyDeleteWonderful!! Thank you for this feature and poem Izy...a poet I've never known. I love her statement about what she does. Courageous :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the introduction Izzy ~ What a woman ~
ReplyDeleteOh and you just broke mine. Wonderful choice, Izy. For all my beat fandom in my misspent youth, I never knew about her. Now I want to read more.
ReplyDeletecool, Izy ~
ReplyDeleteA favorite poem of mine too, I used it in my master's thesis concert in dance years ago. Diane is my teacher. She is reading her new work at a benefit,this Sat, March 1 at Bird and Beckett Bookstore in SF. She has Parkinson's and hasn't been able to teach the past few years. If you live nearby, call and make a reservation. She's amazing. Yes, a Beat and more.Her autobio, My Life as a Woman, is a must read, truly. Her anthology is titled Pieces of a Song. If you liked this poem, check out more of her work, a book length poem the Loba is marvelous.
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