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LETTERS TO YESENIN: 18, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Thus the poet is a beached gypsy, the first porpoise to whom it
Last Line: Smell of bacon. Wise souls move through the dark only one step at a time.
Alternate Author Name(s): Harrison, Jim
Subject(s): Memory; Singing & Singers; Suicide; Yesenin, Sergei (1895-1925); Songs


Thus the poet is a beached gypsy, the first porpoise to whom it occurred to
commit suicide. True, my friend, even porpoises have learned your trick and for
similar reasons: losing hundreds of thousands of wives, sons, daughters,
husbands to the tuna nets. The seventh lover in a row disappears and it can't be
endured. There is some interesting evidence that Joplin was a porpoise and
simply decided to stop breathing at an unknown depth. Perhaps the navy has her
body and is exploring ways to turn it into a weapon. Off Boca Grande a baby
porpoise approached my boat. It was a girl about the size of my two-year-old
daughter who might for all I know be a porpoise. Anyway she danced around the
boat for an hour while her mother kept a safer distance. I set the mother at
ease by singing my infamous theme song: "Death dupe dear dingle devil flower
bird dung girl," repeating seven times until the mother approached and I leaned
over the gunnel and we kissed. I was tempted to swim off with them but
remembered I had a data with someone who tripled as a girl, cocaine dealer and
duck though she chose to be the last, alas, that evening. And as in all ancient
stories I returned to the spot but never found her or her little girl again.
Even now mariners passing the spot deep in the night can hear nothing. But
enough of porpoise love. And how they are known to beach themselves. I've
begun to doubt whether we ever would have been friends. Maybe. Not that it's
to the point -- I know three one-eyed poets like myself but am close to none of
them. These letters might have kept me alive -- something to do you know as
opposed to the nothing you chose. Loud yeses don't convince. Nietzsche said you
were a rope dancer before you were born. I say yes before breakfast but to the
smell of bacon. Wise souls move through the dark only one step at a time.





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