For whatever you may think,
my fraynd...
What appeared to last
for eons
was actually over
in just a brief shiny
slash
A giant leap from
the Manhattan bridge
led to such a devastating gash
Pain you say!
No, no
Just merely a scratch!
But fortunately a tugboat
was out for work
on that God awful day
It saved you from drowning
down Lower Manhattan's
slimy East River....
Not far from Brooklyn
just across
the way
But tell me Tuli
Yes tell me
Mr. Tuli,
Sir...
Just why did you
do it?
Yes, how could you
do it, anyway?
Surrounded by
clams and vermin
Sometimes
I think I know
just how you feel!
In regard to my poem, I first came across Tuli Kupferberg's golden voice while listening to his underground rock band, The Fugs. The Fugs are without a doubt, one of the most unusual acts that I have ever seen.
They were formed in 1964. They consist of poets Tuli Kupferberg and Ed Sanders, with Ken Weaver on drums. Their name is, of course, a beguiling reference to the birds and bees.
But unfortunately "The Fugs" achieved very limited commercial success, despite their uncommon talents. They did however, serve as an outlet for Kupferberg's radical speech and anarchical tendencies.
It must be noted that Kupferberg did, on at least one ocassion, attempt to dismiss the seriousness of his suicide attempt. He said " Nothing happened. I landed in the water and I wasn't dead. So I swam ashore and went home and took a bath and went to bed. Nobody even noticed."
** Please note - The term " fraynd" is Yiddish. It means friend.
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