RAY BREMSER MEMORIAL
SECTION TWELVE

sm
COLUMN SEVENTY-FOUR, AUGUST 1, 2002
(Copyright © 2002 Al Aronowitz)

[ST. RAY first appeared in HUNGER NO. 5 1999 and appears here with the permission of the author]

A WATER ROW BLUES BAG

For Ray Bremser & Jeffery Weinberg at The Cherry Valley Arts Festival 8/8/98  

Say Ray Bremser
you were a real gone cat
at the Cherry Valley
Arts Festival
in the evening
as darkness
called out the Poetry stars
with their Bag of Blues
to hang out
hooked on August
to be near Ginsberg's oasis
with evidence of Poetry
everywhere
compressed into three days
of Love
and old wonderments
 

Say Ray You told us what happened
on road to Villcampampa
was it your Momma
your Poppa
your Sister
your Bonnie
who pointed with index flng
to unattainable Nirvana
in Mexico to be with Senors
and Senoritas
in Palacial cabanas
or maybe commune
with the ghosts
Of Totonac runners
Of Montezuma himself
Or fantasize Uxmal
even bring back Trotsky
or dream Viva Zapata
 

Say Ray
what really happened
Ray
1000 pounds of ponder
blew you away
to wander across border
to wish away border guards
probation officers
judges
did you wash them out of mind
in a Rio Grande
river of beer
 

Say Ray what happened
the day you filled
your bag of Blues
in Bordentown facility
and refilled in Trenton State
then off to riff thru the Holland
and Lincoln Tunnels
become Prince of Metropolitan
Poetry
and now 40 years later
still hovering over Palisadian Heights
with your Jazz
for the New Millenium
with words to stick
between cracks
in America's Wailing Wall

Say Ray
What really happened
When you ticked-off
Society
With your Beat Shananigans
When you buried
Once and forever
all the Grammarians
who stuck to the Rules
their Language decomposing
while you sang Ecstatic Blues
in Nova Broadcast
refilling your Water Row
Blues Bag
once again a biblical Conqueror
 

0 say Ray Bremser
Scatman Celebrator
Jazz Daddy
physical body gone now
but not to be forgot
you painted the Moment
with Heart
free born to be
Born Again
you be here now
on tape on page
always all ways
Born Again  ##

* * *

Excerpted from

SAINT RAY

RAY, RAY, YOU BE GONE,
  YOU BE POET SAINT,
YOU "KISHA KISHA KISHA KISHA KISHA KISHA"
YOU BE KOSHER KISHA KOOL POETRY DUDE
"CYMBAL CYMBAL CYMBAL CYMBAL CYMBAL"
YOU SPOKE AND CRACKLED AND SMOKED BOP-CABALA
CONNED AND HUSTLED YOUR WAY THRU SUBTERRANEAN AMERICA
YOU WERE RUMINANT QUADRUPED CAMEL
 STORING POEMS IN YOUR HUMP
  A REAL CAPITALIST BANKING WORDS
LET'S SAY SOME BIG WORDS LIKE YOU LOVED TO DO:
  CARTOGRAPHY CHRONOLOGICAL GENERALISSIMO
 KISHA KISHA KISHA CYMBAL CYMBAL
 MESHUGGENEH TYMPANUM UTTERARCHITECTRONICS
 BABUSHKA-AUTOMATIONS HIGGLEDY-PIGGLEDY KINESTHESIA
 X-CHROMOSOME XEROGRAPHY ZAPPEDVASOLINEVASONATORS
  VAUDEVILLE-SOMERSAULTS  IN MUTATIONAL MEDITATIONS
 A DELEGATION OF CRAWL-BARS COME TO VOTE SUPPRESSION
 AGGRESSION STARVATION
 RAY, YOU GO THRU ITHOSPHERE TO LOCOMOTIONING NIRVANA
 PATRONYMIC MICROPHONIC PEDOMETER-EFFICACIOUS
 BE TISIPHONOUS BE WAMPAUMPEAG
 QUERIMONIOUSLY QUERULOUS QUICK TO JINGLY JING A JINGO
 BE BORN AGAIN A PERFECT BUTTERFLY
 A BUDDHA FLITTING HIGH FLYING HIGH
 HA HA  HA  HA HA  HA HA

RAY RAY YOU MADE IT
YOU HAD THE WORLD BY THE BALLS
SQUEEZED IT FOR ALL IT WAS WORTH

RAY BREMSER SAINT  ##

                                                       * * *

                                       

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