The Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan (31 page)

I rent a car & drive it to Wales, & Liverpool,

with

Lewis Warsh,

on Acid!

I bump into other

cars!!

I buy a de Kooning!

I buy the NY Times, &

do the Crossword Puzzle

I buy some
money
& give it to

my Mother

so she won’t worry!

She only needs $300 to make

her Summer Worry-free.

I buy lots of pills

&

I give you

lots of pills.

I even get to shop, on Carnaby Street,

in a Children’s Boutique

for terrific boots & cowboy jackets

for David!

& sharp clothes for

Kate!

I buy a train ticket

to    SING-SING

I rent a cell for 20

Years,

because

I don’t pay my bills!

Then I write terrific Prison Poems,

& get lots of mail!

Then I don’t know what I

do then.

You don’t get to fuck much, in

SING-SING,

if you’re straight.

I don’t know how I got

to be straight,

since I didn’t try

for it.

I’m sure it’s just like being queer,

only different.