-> amazon.com: tibet <-

grainy-redundant

Patti Smith Mailing List archives


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

The Scream of the Butterfly



Almost 40 years ago today, in NEW HAVEN, Conn. on December 9, 1967 a famous singer became one of the first rock stars to be arrested onstage.  
   
  James Douglas Morrison had just turned 24.  A nice mugshot of Mr. Morrison and the whole story of that memorable evening can be found here: 
   
  http://www.jonhs.com/mugshots/morrison.htm
     
  Patti has also placed a mugshot of Morrison on her website, along with the uncensored version of her notes for AN AMERICAN PRAYER in memory of Jim Morrison's birthday. 
   
  The version of the notes that Patti published in EARLY WORK was for some unknown reason changed by her, so it's nice to have the fuller version.   
   
  For example:   his cock is caught in the mouth of the wilderness 
  becomes:        he is caught in the mouth of the wilderness  
  in the sanitized version.  
   
   
   
  death by water 
  _______________________ 
   
  by patti smith 
   
   
  How long ago was man promised? 
  never again, no not again.
  no death by water.
   
  yet how many questions arise like yeast. 
  like the perfect dead: 
   
  was the red sea really?
  does man rule the river?
  did she/he drown? 
  was it natural causes? 
  was it sorrow?
   
  How many tears on your pillow. 
  crocodile or real. water shed. 
  brian Jones drowned. face down. in a childs 
  pool of water. youth fountain. 
   
  Jim Morrison. our leather lamb. he feared 
  the bathroom. he warned us. hyacinth house. 
  how did he know, how did christ know. no 
  doubt about it. a marked man is always the 
  first to know. he died in a bath tub. slumped 
  over like Marat.  the only clue was the red 
  rash over his heart.
   
  someone said there were last words. water 
  poured from his eyes. he was truly immaculate 
  yet surprised. outside it was raining. storm 
  clouds. danger waters. the tub was overflowing. 
  he looked up. then he cried out: 
  but you promised 
   
     
     
   
   
   
   


 __________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com