The Poetry of Jack Kerouac Read online

  I am indebted to Kathleen Manwaring of the Syracuse University Library for sending a xerox copy of Jack Kerouac’s manuscript for sections 50-67 from the Grove Press Archive.

  More Old Angel Midnight

  Old Angel Midnight the swan of heaven fell

  and flew cockmeek

  Old Angel Midnigh the night onta twelve

  Year Tart with the long bing bong

  and the big ding dong

  The boy on the sandbank blooming the moon,

  The sound won’t let me sleep and since I

  found out time is silence Manjusri won’t

  let me hear the swash of snow no mo

  in ole no po

  O A M

  Oh O M

  Tho old Midnacker snacker tired a twit twit twit

  the Me Tarty long true

  The yentence peak peck slit slippymeek twang

  twall I’d heerd was flip the hand curse

  lead pencil in the shaky desk

  Ah ow HURT!

  Tantapalii the silken tont retchy swan

  bent necky I wish I had enuf sense to swim

  as I hear

  O lousy tired gal

  One more!

  Choired arranged silence singers imbibing

  belly blum

  Wreck the high charch chichipa and get firm

  juicy thebest thebest no other oil

  has ever heard such peanut squeeze

  On top of which you yold yang midnockitwatter

  lying there in baid imagining casbah concepts

  from a highland fling moorish beach

  by moonlight medallion indicative spidergirls

  with sand legs waiting for the non-Christian

  cock, come O World window Wowf

  &BARK!

  BARK!

  BARK for the girls of Tranatat

  Because by the time those two Mominuan monks

  with girls & boys in their matted hair pans

  sense wind in the flower the golden lord will

  turn the imbecile himself into slip paper

  Or dog paper

  Or that pipe blend birds never peck because

  their bills are too hard

  That window paper.

  A Piece of Old Angel Midnight

  Tool the tirlishes down, mejems seemst Ide time Saturday or Nunday, one O shot shick razor cut and meating this is the sharp blade of grass cuts the innocent ‘and when lambs bray—yay—and all the tape-boos & topatoos go cruing in Pakis Tanny the Loola Place where hides are bared, haired, & mared—or slunked with one axe head meat smap

  That story you’se expectin O Brer Rabmollasoses you old Taird Tender Grant Cigared you at Appo ten thousand or more dead—daid—Eyes of Ray Charles see Me here realize O Holy

  About the Author

  Jack Kerouac (1922–1969) was an American writer best known for his novel On the Road. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Kerouac attended Columbia University and then, during World War II, briefly served in the Merchant Marine and the US Navy. Along with his friends, including Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and Neal Cassady, Kerouac was a key figure in the counterculture movement known as the Beat Generation. He wrote his first novel, The Town and the City, about his struggle to balance the expectations of his family with his unconventional life. Kerouac took several cross-country trips with Cassady, which became the basis for On The Road. The manuscript, which was presented to his editor on a single, unbroken roll of paper—the scroll was later exhibited to record crowds in Lowell—was initially rejected. Upon its publication six years later in 1957, Kerouac was faced with challenges resulting from his newfound fame as he tried to live up to the image portrayed in his novels and faced criticism from the literary establishment for being part of what was considered a fad. He published several more novels including Doctor Sax, The Subterraneans, The Dharma Bums, and his final great work, Big Sur. He settled with his mother and his wife, Stella Sampas, in Florida, where he died in 1969 at age forty-seven.

  Kerouac’s popularity has not waned since his death. On The Road remains widely read, and a new film adaptation starring Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Kerouac was named one of the most important figures of the twentieth century by Life magazine and the Times (London). Interest in Kerouac continues to grow with the publication of his letters, poetry, spiritual writings, early novels, and more from his remarkable literary archive. Countless writers and musicians, including the Doors, Bob Dylan, and Patti Smith, have cited Kerouac as an influence.

  All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  Scattered Poems copyright © 1970, 1971, 1945, 1950, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1960, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 by Estate of Jack Kerouac

  The Scripture of the Golden Eternity copyright © 1960 by Jan Kerouac and Anthony Sampatakakos

  Old Angel Midnight copyright © 1959, 1961, 1964, 1993 by John Sampas Literary Representative

  Cover design by Amanda Shaffer

  ISBN: 978-1-5040-4716-6

  This edition published in 2017 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

  180 Maiden Lane

  New York, NY 10038

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  JACK KEROUAC

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