A wonderful, short piece by Corso told from the point of view of a yak. Dark humor is used to present an honest view of the situation of this animal. The way that Corso makes us look from the yak's point of view is eye-opening; it presents human actions in an honest, unflattering light. One of the wonderful things about poetry is that it can make us look at the world in a new way, from a different perspective. This short poem accomplishes that.
This is a wonderful moment of an important and highly underrated poet who was a core component of the Beat Movement. It would be best if you could keep the salty language in, however, if you need to edit it out (or cover it with a bleep) the piece will not lose its power. It would work beautifully in a larger segment piece about the Beat Poets. There is a sense of privilege in being able to hear Corso's voice intone, "They're waiting for me to die.." considering his terminal illness a few years ago. I can't say enough good things about this piece. Thank you Naropa for posting this!
Comments for 1975 Gregory Corso - The Mad Yak
This piece belongs to the series "Jack Kerouac Disembodied School of Poetics"
Produced by Naropa University
Other pieces by Naropa University
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2 comments
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Posted on May 02, 2005 at 05:05 AM | Permalink
Review of 1975 Gregory Corso - The Mad Yak
A wonderful, short piece by Corso told from the point of view of a yak. Dark humor is used to present an honest view of the situation of this animal. The way that Corso makes us look from the yak's point of view is eye-opening; it presents human actions in an honest, unflattering light. One of the wonderful things about poetry is that it can make us look at the world in a new way, from a different perspective. This short poem accomplishes that.
Paul McDonald
Posted on March 25, 2005 at 05:34 PM | Permalink
Review of 1975 Gregory Corso - The Mad Yak
This is a wonderful moment of an important and highly underrated poet who was a core component of the Beat Movement. It would be best if you could keep the salty language in, however, if you need to edit it out (or cover it with a bleep) the piece will not lose its power. It would work beautifully in a larger segment piece about the Beat Poets. There is a sense of privilege in being able to hear Corso's voice intone, "They're waiting for me to die.." considering his terminal illness a few years ago. I can't say enough good things about this piece. Thank you Naropa for posting this!