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FIRST_THOUGHTS

                                    August 22, 2006

Some phrases from early drafts
of "Howl" that didn't make it        HOWLERS
into the final copy...


  hallucinating anarchy
  post-war cynical scholars

  Moloch the soulless!

  Moloch the vision of the radio!
  Moloch the lawful Congress!
  Moloch the ponderous dollar!

  Moloch the sexless monarch!
  Moloch the powerful marriage!

  the heartless monolithic magazine of Time!


  Moloch the deathless governments!
  Moloch the flags of the nations!
  Moloch the builder of hell!
  Moloch the invisible mental jury!


  Moloch whose apartments stand in the streets
  like mad lonely Jehovahs

  Moloch whose name is America!
  Moloch whose name is Russia!
  Moloch whose name is Chicago!

  Moloch I wake in!

  ghastly industries

  the granite skulled
  the Avenger

  who took away joy as the bringer of Justice!
  whose skyscrapers scream out their rusty agony into the winter night!
  who burned down my Spring time!
  where you play pingpong with William Appollianaire and Christopher Smart


  Everywhere is heaven!  Everyday's eternity!  everyman is god!



Note: Chicago is Moloch,
but New York and San
Francisco are Holy.


   "Who digs Los Angeles IS Los Angeles!"

      -- Allen Ginsberg, Footnote to "Howl"



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