Weekend Beatnik - a light poem by Andrew Burke

‘Is that a real poncho
or is that a Sears poncho?’
Frank Zappa

I started out on bongos
but soon hit the harder stuff*

never did smoke banana peel
but dark green leaf from Pakistan

in a silver lined bowl
in a small pipe
in a vintage Rover
on the banks of the Swan

I lived in an accent learnt from The Subterraneans
paperback bought second hand
from a bookshop of many tongues

nearly lost my job writing
music specials and commercials
at a radio station
Where No Wrinklies Fly …

obvious to a right wing boss I was Communist
buying books from the Pioneer Bookshop
I hid Mayakovsky’s A Cloud In Trousers
among beer cans in my office drawer:
Open Only in Case of Emergency.

I started out on Time magazine
but soon hit Evergreen Review

played Monk’s Dream as I wrote
the Two Dog Night Special
for Saturday Night

living in the left bank
of my mind
shades on to avoid indignation

but rooted in the right bank
of suburban Perth
a weekend beatnik
complete with beads
a beret from army surplus
and DT Suzuki’s Zen scriptures


* apologies to Bob Dylan