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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
A GUY I KNOW ON 47TH AND COTTAGE, by CLARENCE MAJOR Poem Explanation Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: The day of the strong rap Last Line: Knowing mother's day will not come / till the end of the month Subject(s): Chicago | |||
The day of the strong rap does not build to a close. I see it, the heavy plop, climb from the mouths of twelve-year-olds in backyards trying to be honey cats like their fathers. Same values -- big cars giant hearts. Laying a nickel on somebody to impress the Lady. Grand Theft Money. Moving up from lazy bread to French muffins. Hawking foreign chicks rather than mellow yella. In the future I can just see him grown and slick in a hog on a heavy map he thinks is the end, the greatest. See him throwing a few dimes to the Grape Society in the nearby alley. He'll go to see his mama and sister about once a month to lay a big buck on them, knowing Mother's Day will not come till the end of the month. Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368-0271, www.cc.press.org | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...METAMORPHOSES: 3. THE RE-BIRTH OF VENUS by GEOFFREY HILL FOR THE NEW WORLD by EDWARD HIRSCH WHEN SKYSCRAPERS WERE INVENTED IN CHICAGO by EDWARD HIRSCH STUDY FOR A GEOGRAPHICAL TRAIL; 2. ILLINOIS by CLARENCE MAJOR THE EXPANDED COMPOSITION by CLARENCE MAJOR THE SEVEN CITIES OF AMERICA by EDGAR LEE MASTERS CHICAGO CABARET by KENNETH REXROTH THE CHICAGO POEM; FOR TED BERRIGAN AND ALICE NOTLEY by JEROME ROTHENBERG READ THE SIGNS by CLARENCE MAJOR |
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