a thanksgiving prayer

[joe]

a thanksgiving prayer
by william burroughs

Thanks for the wild turkey and
the passenger pigeons, destined
to be shit out through wholesome
American guts.

Thanks for a continent to despoil
and poison.

Thanks for Indians to provide a
modicum of challenge and
danger.

Thanks for vast herds of bison to
kill and skin leaving the
carcasses to rot.

Thanks for bounties on wolves
and coyotes.

Thanks for the American dream,
To vulgarize and to falsify until
the bare lies shine through.

Thanks for the KKK.

For the "n" word-killin' lawmen,
feelin' their notches.

For decent church-goin' women,
with their mean, pinched, bitter,
evil faces.

Thanks for "Kill a Queer for
Christ" stickers.

Thanks for laboratory AIDS.

Thanks for Prohibition and the
war against drugs.

Thanks for a country where
nobody's allowed to mind their
own business.

Thanks for a nation of finks.

Yes, thanks for all the
memories-- all right let's see
your arms!

You always were a headache and
you always were a bore.

Thanks for the last and greatest
betrayal of the last and greatest
of human dreams.

[Jason]

Kick ass. needs to be a metal song. Will get to work on it asap.

[MrBlip]

Banned joe for racism.

There's a song George Carlin sings in one of his bits that would go right along with this. I'll see if I can find the lyrics for it.

Edit:
Oh beautiful
For smoggy skies,
Insecticided grain
For strip-mined mountain's magesty
Above the asphault plane
America, America,
Man sheds his waste on thee
And hide the pines with billboard signs
From sea to smoggy sea

Something like that.

[Bogey]

I almost read this poem in my English class last week (I went with HOWL by Allen Ginsberg instead, put half the class to sleep and the other half on the edges of their seats).
I love Burroughs' work. I'm currently reading Naked Lunch which is totally fantastic. Every other day I'll run up to a friend and make them read one passage or another that I thought was great.

[joe]

[Cc_Hairy]

he forgot frozen french-cut green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup

i'd rather receive an envelope filled with USMIL anthrax powder

[Delinquent]

joe do you have to fight against everyone all the time? rebel without a cause comes to mind...
or you just talk a lot and haven't done anything...


/.Delinquent

[joe]

i observe the world and form opinions. i'm not fighting anything, just expressing how i feel.

[knoid]

Sorry to revive an old thread but I just noticed this....joe - didn't you post that same poem a few years back?

[joe]

every thanksgiving

[Cc_Hairy]

joe wheres my gdam xmas poem u promised me?

[joe]

i don't recall making such a promise

[Rat-morningstar]

wtf necro

[Jason]

Lolll every damn year.

[A Ninja]

bump at Ian7's request