Footnote To Howl - A poem by Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg - Footnote To Howl

Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! 
     Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! 
The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! 
     The nose is holy! The tongue and cock and hand 
     and asshole holy! 
Everything is holy! everybody's holy! everywhere is 
     holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman's an 
     angel! 
The bum's as holy as the seraphim! the madman is 
     holy as you my soul are holy! 
The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is 
     holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy! 
Holy Peter holy Allen holy Solomon holy Lucien holy 
     Kerouac holy Huncke holy Burroughs holy Cas- 
     sady holy the unknown buggered and suffering 
     beggars holy the hideous human angels! 
Holy my mother in the insane asylum! Holy the cocks 
     of the grandfathers of Kansas! 
Holy the groaning saxophone! Holy the bop 
     apocalypse! Holy the jazzbands marijuana 
     hipsters peace & junk & drums! 
Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! Holy 
     the cafeterias filled with the millions! Holy the 
     mysterious rivers of tears under the streets! 
Holy the lone juggernaut! Holy the vast lamb of the 
     middle class! Holy the crazy shepherds of rebell- 
     ion! Who digs Los Angeles IS Los Angeles! 
Holy New York Holy San Francisco Holy Peoria & 
     Seattle Holy Paris Holy Tangiers Holy Moscow 
     Holy Istanbul! 
Holy time in eternity holy eternity in time holy the 
     clocks in space holy the fourth dimension holy 
     the fifth International holy the Angel in Moloch! 
Holy the sea holy the desert holy the railroad holy the 
     locomotive holy the visions holy the hallucina- 
     tions holy the miracles holy the eyeball holy the 
     abyss! 
Holy forgiveness! mercy! charity! faith! Holy! Ours! 
     bodies! suffering! magnanimity! 
Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent 
     kindness of the soul! 

                                   Berkeley 1955

Share |

Added: Feb 20 2003 | Viewed: 22146 times |

Comments (5)

Footnote To Howl - Comments and Information
Poet: Allen Ginsberg Poem: Footnote To Howl Volume: Howl and Other Poems Year: Published/Written in 1956 Poem of the Day: Jan 14 2005 Comment 5 of 5, added on March 13th, 2012 at 4:05 AM. aZGSYxRSbAMTmFq I wish i couldve met that bdlnoe vampire on the right when i went cuz i wuz jus there 3 days ago but i was scared of her.if u go to smileybby13 the third video will be [Models].OR.[Vampires]its me nd my cousin on the runway as a model ..or a vampire ..which one? Bety from Armenia Comment 4 of 5, added on July 28th, 2010 at 8:17 PM. Holy I don't think he's saying nothing is holy, but that everything is. Even humanity and civilization with all it's sins and failings is still holy and beautiful. That is what the holy section means to me. Look even at the rest of the poem. He glorifies the grotesque, and joyfully speaks of things most dare not even think of. Ginsberg was a genius. peramia from United States Comment 3 of 5, added on January 25th, 2010 at 12:42 AM. Footnote to Howl Shannon I read it completely the opposite, that EVERYTHING is Holy and amazing! Karen Doherty from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Footnote To Howl, has received 5 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own.

Poem Info
Poet: Allen Ginsberg Poem: Footnote To Howl Volume: Howl and Other Poems Year: Published/Written in 1956 Last read: 2013-05-22 22:11:20 Poem of the Day: Jan 14 2005 Viewed 22146 times. Added Feb 20 2003.

Ginsberg Info
Biography More Poems (40 poems) Allen Ginsberg books