*

My students and I were discussing the poem Howl by Allen Ginsberg. I asked them to write their own Howl poem. Grant Crosby has let out his own howl, inspired by Ginsberg:

Grant Crosby

“My name is Grant Crosby. I am a Senior here at Endicott College. I am from Portland, Maine, and play football here at Endicott. Some of my hobbies that I love to do are hunting, fishing, skiing, and exploring the outdoors. I gather a lot of my writing material from my personal experiences with life, and especially the outdoors. I always looked at writing as a chore, but when given the opportunity to write about something I am passionate about, I really enjoy the process and the ability to express emotions I honestly would not.”

Howl Poem About Death:

I saw the best parts of myself taken by Death,
the cold-fingered fugitive of houses and bedrooms,
the thief of family, friends, and every warm breath
that dared to live too brightly in this cold world.

Death, you are a monster, you empty-eyed killer,
I watched you creep into hospital rooms
and farm fields and long winter nights,
ripping souls from bodies like pages torn
from a book still being written.

I watched people I love fall into your arms,

men who worked 14-hour days just to get

devoured by your grin, mothers and brothers and neighbors

taken without warning, leaving us holding their names

like broken glass.

— Grant Crosby

_______________________________________
To have your work considered for the Lyrical send it to:
Doug Holder, 25 School St.; Somerville, MA 02143
dougholder@post.harvard.edu