28.7.09

Happy Birthday, John Ashbery!

So I just turned 28 and I'm a married man now. How time doth fly!

Thanks for the kind wishes everyone. You made me blush...

Speaking of the number 28, today is John Ashbery's birthday. To celebrate, I am posting a poem I wrote inspired by a new work (how does the man remain so prolific?) that Ashbery read at New York's 92nd Street Y on October 27, 2008. Ashbery's poem was made up entirely of movie titles and also included the word 'they' at the beginning of every line. I thought it would be an interesting writing prompt to attempt and "They Sparrows" is the result. It is dedicated to all the lovely poets and writers I've met while attending the New School in Manhattan.

They Sparrows

They the wild bunch.

They knockaround guys.

They shut up & sing.

They big fish.

They take the lead.

They hustle & flow.

They bring it on.

They companeros!

They walking tall.

They kids in America.

They American outlaws.

They bomb the system.

They starship troopers.

They strangers with candy.

They far from heaven.

They curious, George.

They wordplay.

They pulp fiction.

They stranger than fiction.

They analyze this.

They get smart.

They in the realms of the unreal.

They reign over me.

They duel in the sun.

They get rich or die tryin’.

They walk the line.

They crash.

They war dance.

They ask the dust.

They broken flowers.

They secondhand lions.

They city of ghosts.

They touching the void.

They own the night.

-Greg Santos

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