The Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan (33 page)

“I’m a fucking monster!”

“I’m part elephant, Part Tiger, part

Nag, Part bore.”

You might say that.

“I’m an ordinary person.”

Yes you are.

“I’m a passenger.”

That’s absolutely true.

Now, tell me about You?

(this space for you

to do so)

& this

& this

That’s enough.

Now what shall we talk

about?

We could

bitch all our mutual

friends!!

Good Idea,

as we pull into

Providence,

R. I.

OUR FRIENDS

Ron:                 the tight-ass

Dick:              the insignificant

Pat:              the dowdy old lady

Anne:              the superficial

sentimentalist

Bill:             the spoiled snoot

Kenward:          the Elephant with

the soul of a Butterfly &

the temper of a Scorpion.

George:                  the bad painter

Michael:            the Self Important

Fuss-budget

The grotesque John Ashbery of

the bad character

The silly boring Kenneth Koch

The frumpy Jane Freilicher

The Pain-in-the-Ass Larry

Fagin

The whining Jim Carroll

The Snake in the grass Lewis Warsh

The slick easy poet,

Tom Clark

Jimmy Schuyler who has no stamina

The Asinine baby Tom Veitch

etc.

etc.

(Now You do some)

Yes, but what about us?

The Insufferable

Ted Berrigan:

He’s so fucking

Heavy!

What a tiresome

person!

So Presumptuous!

Self-Important!

Repetitious!

Never Shuts Up!

Too fucking Bossy!

Who does he think he is???

Fat-Ass!

Those Teeth!

Mean to his wife!!

Boring Poet!!

Who Cares!!

Why doesn’t he run for
Pope

& get it over with!!

He thinks he knows

it All!!

etc.

etc.