Howl - In Laughter

To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it! - Charlie Chaplin

It’s funny how some people can be so narrow-minded and cynical that they cannot see past what they define as bad language and vulgarity, especially when a poem such as "Howl" can convey such emotion and sincerity. While I often struggle with poetry because it is often contrived, snooty and, at times, the concepts are incomprehensible, this poem captivated me. This affect- as I am no poet and as a dyslexic, I admire how Allen Ginsberg has the ability to express himself in a wonderfully open and vivid way. But I was affected, not just once or in one way but every time I read it, it had a different affect on me. Whether it was sorrow for those "visionary Indian angels" or anger against "Moloch" particularly because "Moloch who frightened me out of my natural ecstasy! ". One thing I loved in specific was the humour of it all. I know this is a solemn and tragic poem, about grave issues and depressing times, but Ginsberg in this poem has an extremely dark sense of humour. Maybe it’s just me but I couldn't stop laughing every time I read “Who …… subsequently presented themselves on the granite steps of the madhouse with shaven heads and harlequin speech of suicide, demanding instantaneous lobotomy, and who were given instead the concrete void of insulin, Metrazol, electricity, hydrotherapy, psychotherapy, occupational therapy, Ping-Pong & amnesia". It’s as if he is saying look, look at just how completely insane and ludicrous it is to have people whose only crime is soul-searching for the unknown, the mysterious and the spiritual.

Is this not funny? We are so desperate for wealth and power that we offer up our sacrifice - sacrificing our food, water and energy sources. We are starving and polluting our future and the future of our children (sacrifice) for our greed (Moloch) and some of us don't even realize it. In fact a large majority of governments (“doctors of insanity”) still don't realise it. We are the blind being led by the blind or worse we see, we fight and we fail, and in desperation beg for a "lobotomy".

Still funny!!