Ginsberg is one of my favorites, and a poet I was introduced to early on in my poetry meanderings. I’ve always been floored by how his poems hit like trains, such impact from his lines.
“Howl” is Ginsberg’s most famous poem, published in 1956. It bluntly heralds sexual encounters, both hetero and homosexual ones, which caused quite a controversy, was deemed “obscene,” and led to a trial over what sort of material should/should not be published. The judged ruled in favor of Ginsberg, protecting first amendment rights, and helping to liberalize publishing.”Howl” hits like a train but also keeps going and going like one, line after line, powerful and unrelenting.
Here is the series of animations of the poem from the movie Howl with James Franco… The animations are based on the Illuminated Poems of Ginsberg by Eric Drooker – an excellent book.
marks in the sand 