Footnote to Howl

Written by Alan Ginsberg

 

Holy!  Holy!  Holy!  Holy!  Holy!  Holy!   Holy!  Holy!  Holy!  Holy!
   Holy!  Holy!  Holy!  Holy!  Holy!
The world is Holy!  The soul is Holy!  The skin is Holy!  The nose
   is Holy!  The tongue and cock and hand and asshole Holy!
Everything is Holy!  Everybody's Holy!  Everywhere is Holy!  Every day
   is an eternity!  Everyman's an angel!
The bum's as Holy as the seraphim!  The madman is as
   Holy as you my soul are Holy!
The typewriter is Holy the poem is Holy the voice is Holy
   the hearers are Holy the ecstasy is Holy!
Holy Peter Holy Allen Holy Solomon Holy Lucien Holy
   Kerouac Holy Huncke Holy Burroughs Holy Cassady
   Holy the unknown buggered and suffering
   beggars Holy the hideous human angels!
Holy my mother in the insane asylum!  Holy the cocks
   of the grandfathers of Kansas!
Holy the groaning saxophone!  Holy the bop apocalypse!
   Holy the jazzhbands marijuana hipsters peace and
   junk and drums!
Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements!
   Holy the cafeterias filled with millions!  Holy the
   mysterious rivers of tears under the streets!
Holy the lone juggernaut!  Holy the vast lamb of the
   middle class!  Holy the crazy shepherds of rebellion!
   Who digs Los Angeles IS Lost Angeles!
Holy New York Holy San Francisco Holy Peoria and Seattle Holy
   Paris Holy Tangiers Holy Moscow Holy Istanbul!
Holy time in eternity Holy eternity in time Holy the clocks
   in space Holy the fourth dimension Holy the Fifth
   International Holy the Angel in Moloch!
Holy the sea Holy the desert Holy the railroad Holy the
   locomotive Holy the visions Holy the hallucinations
   Holy the miracles Holy the eyeball Holy the abyss!
Holy forgiveness!  Mercy!  Charity!  Faith!  Holy!  Ours!   Bodies!
   Suffering!  Magnanimity!
Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness
   of the soul!

 

 

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