The final chapter of
Stubborn Grew was written on Good Friday, Kerouac-style, in one non-stop flood of composition. Here the entire poem is recapitulated through a Joycean
Finnegans Wake contraption filter. It is as though the epic stubborn implosion collapses on itself and raves-unravels out of control. But if read carefully, you'll find a replay, chapter-by-chapter, of what came before. Henry is closing down & flowing out. It's Good Friday; his Lenten shriving and confession (which the poem became) is caterwauled in one last blow-out.
Yet Bluejay infiltrates even here. He cautions patience; encourages Henry to wait. & finally, near the end, a dove, or the Dove, appears. A vision of the dove or Holy Spirit on Good Friday is one of the motifs in the old medieval Grail stories. For Henry it is a sign of possible forgiveness & renewal.
The whole tone of the passage lightens. Suddenly we are on pilgrimage with "Actemydovie" (Anna Akhmatova) on her way to receive a medal and honorary degree at Oxford. Henry has recovered a certain peace of mind not felt in the poem since the
Ancient Light chapter, on his own train ride to Oxford. Then suddenly the voice of his father breaks in (J.D. Gould - whose birthday was coming on April 12th, Easter that year). Gone are the Joycean hijinks. The voice is clear & penetrating. On Good Friday "son & father" are reconciled - father offers son "
your crown" - a distinct contrast to Shakespeare's famous scene in
Henry IV, when Prince Hal temporarily swipes his
father's crown.
I suppose
Stubborn's final mild finish laid the psychic groundwork for the possibility of a sequel. In
The Grassblade Light - the massive new poem which overshadowed Henry only after
Stubborn was written - his epic search for long-lost Juliet/Eurydice begins again, in a new key.
Just around moodnight (calling all cowhands) an H
was in the coffinshop still – while winked blurred lights
bleaped above wooftaps, and springy branches blencht
their chaotwigs. Ernesteamer, schooning his hatch,
recaptain, he thought, a green, a very green nightcap;
tailoring owl the word coming about hard alley,
refracting his five fave purrfurrances, his grainest whey.
A tin pine oily tootpick twiddled there in a pool of catnap
on the wordy countintap; H dribbled his digits, plied
his three fiery seas, lit overplays over blightships amid
trashbutts, pied his litter and soilables, mitted
his clay, bee, sea, dee ineffadumb GH – his curious
Q-ride, round, about how moony angles arrest on a pun?
In pushpin land? Pusscan you tell me? He'd wandered
to, and frowned himself overt and under dirtpandered
nougats of purr charcoal. Finly and fitly he begun
to begun his edgies, ukelelizing his complexiglass set
of the burptitanic, and accenting a liberal shipdog terrier-
ful of inframmastory inflingratiating hysteroderrier
taxbooks on oh neverest before everest subject
preserve my speech, yehnuntul, he would crow,
a raven yellin blackbird, and protect the flowers,
he inquestered everbody, gam on everwheres;
meaningwhile to relight his most epicturesco frisco
fresco chessmight with a stare and a why and a no.
If po Pound can wee anchor at 1600 fleets then
H ken two, he uddereth, milking his dray hen;
take off that dump steer bullhorner, Jack, and go!
Well it wall began, he huhouuyynmphhed – it began –
are yall rhodey for this exclamornation? – it all
began with our W. Deep springs the steep, and tall
falls small, so the lil rig-V'd rocket wwwwrrrrhhed. . . ran!
Oh my did the kids collect their stubs an head for there!
Refugerators, specterspanulators,adopterators, even
some taters! Canonicus an co. plowed eleven-steven
buck for shot an fish for fool an a fair fare is square,
but they went under the impressurfdom of beastonian
stiffrottenness almound furnever, knaves –
it were a yurt caddie that still saves
gulf bowls and weary ware sharded long ago, abodian
freefar SW where Cautantowwit preserve my speech
rains over the deserveret and the undeserted and
whippoorwills protect the flowers, understand –
Bluejay was theirs. But we can steal tray to reach
that wet sound over the pure pile a pinetree scraps
an violent bows that ever purrcollate an rockabye
by the rectorious and the unmarzipanious. Try!
It'll opinion up hour by hour hysteria, perhaps!
H coffed a lil fleming and belgian some gastronomy now.
Here's Mars, he lectchurned on. The wars was unwise
because why's the reason, fellas? Shoe-size?
Make the gal squeeze an cries? Ho-ho, and how!
How? Rifle through the drayhorse for some key rationale,
and starve the shlep over the rockets until you fries!
That's warcome! Your very warcome, guys!
Quaker node in nudepart walkin through beans – hell,
they fileted Em fur that! So she up an refuged to list
another minute clam to that pilasterful of plastered saints!
That's what the narrow rhody for – imaginary isle it ain't –
see why ol Rog jet to capitalize anglandin – communist?
No, jest a plainpreachin manx talkin to the native tongs,
the ironic ore knot in ever won a gist all odysseus, come again?
No, jest a covertent – hope his anchor, an his cankersore – H
read about it an clucked it away for safecheepin, songs.
H ruffied through his fetters and nipt his nuts and reedy
on an onion and spilletted his banes and trapezoided and
super-avoided and divertissued his connected litter and
dandruffed his fighters and continuitortured with algospeedy
endrivers to corrote and borate and orbit and smelt
ornate while he fluctured his studs and gelted his
girlguides and ethered him herdaches and pelted his
merderakes and garted the gumpreposterous sweltered
ump of it all. . . whew! He just kept right on raiding
dismal ubertoothguardit discaldeliberations in the libel,
airy as a filed ossifer and smelly as a skunted shell
from Hairsnook Buch. And haddock netted yet evening
to the door yet, the newt! History. Some clambake!
Dorr was, Dorr will be, Dorr. Napping his pole still eons
from his statutes bronze, the near-hero! Suppons
he'd dadn't done wuddie done? We'd still be snake
tied to an old wrastle of stewed county baroons, unliable
to snort, much less vote, less we hone some cheese
under the Man's shins! But please,
the Dorr's been open for yours, mine, and the police – able
he was ere he saw crawdaddy an the brothas upon Elbow
Street an feared his wet canon might nought his own
royal tiffs! Don't follow me – I'll fellow you, stan?
And H hasn't even luxuriacted about POE yet! Wo!
Men! They are his story! They get under your skin
and then they hi! Tool it? Until you just about bend
into a wrecked oar set and send Polly and Billy to mend
with grammar in the shoals of fart knox – you can win!
But as H was saying. . . back to back to back Dorrstory.
It stinks. While the irate steamocrats' not-so-meekantics
scarrifoured the plutonic wretch farmodirts and smurtchics,
they also burned the ex off the enclave for Roger's hoary
liberty by exclusieving out the black side o' the track–
you say you know about that? H depurred, prefurred to dot
you did. Spot on. Your.shit now, sureman – the hot's
on hottentot! All your gimcrackerburly minstrollhack
blacktalk, H–to high heaven . I mean it smells, bro.
You and Poe on the popo fo yo poetrick poorposes. . .
J knows your gonna regreet it when you burn, sez
Yoi. She otter know. Don't renumber now, do you?
Standish up there pontificating pond for moor
and meadow for three back sides. . . oh brother!
How can you kick the can you be, silly seizure
salad? Are you going to tell me you're our Homer,
running things from the bookbund infelt?
Police. I would rather sell fish to a shark nursery
than listen to any more of your pet pussery
passay the primo beef cult
baloney, Henry. And that's fine. Preserve my speech.
That's all. And protect the flowers. Hear?
Old men oughta be explovers of the near – not
dearly bloaded emprodroolers. So long now, Teach.
Lighting suddenly riddled the seedy effigy H called
home, his ground coffinsofafroom eggfriedatedeal.
Preserve my speech. What he mean – Nahuatl?
He thumped the side of his knowledge–spilled
a little red bean there in the procession. Gray light
hover the harbor, all ready for Don Wan to wander on
back to his music box and windlespinatop the iron
spring. . . but his hurt wasn't in his headpatch right.
O dewey redman, trumped all over even before she was!
How you guerdoned your green captop tiptop, verdant
with sea lions! Taptastatictoed all across the quint
ballroom without the slippery slimperfuming toucans
any molluscular coruscation – her tinder waltz, on fire legs,
yours, together, one two then! And the guardreel zoomed
and buzzed with bumblebooms, blues, greys, nonamed –
tellyon beauts can grow, only beetrush borscht begs
plantatoed any bitter! H two needed, a deadline
to make his lifelimb growso tall. H ate, all ten wives,
before they nude what wasn't happening – knives
addled Queen Best (as purr) and the wine
soared all over the crude. A pantalooned pair o'
dicey listobeamings there were in the deeds
of H–his lyin astern aforefoot skift leads
F to G and swell to Venice, son – see? Oh-oh.
Loosen your reason? Hard to, feller–avast
cheskermate centered your creel, the yaksee
sweltered in a fireheaded woolfox brutee!
Around and aground like a termulating ski mast!
Protect the flowers. But. H stalled at the pint,
oar lofted, stumped. Divortex aflight overheard,
where davyjonas keeps a coaxial colorcoated
coata curlicues to hotiron his onesaintly stint
as hub of unicycle – a bed dream come to dot
their cry. Lines drawn in the dusty dune
done did them in, dude – soon
weep, what you so sorely throat to nought!
A fib related brow row row woakenhurt
in the spiky sky. Your memo
rises it. You no.
Merry G – he mort.
But it was noting the benefit undershadowed that
finely tuned H to his ownerslip of a barren the
wounds, since the knight is what, and the
flight is de balloonful of airfears, and the money is fat.
The histoire spelt all over the life pressurfer
reservationist needled mention of Cappy Green
who sleeves up his neightbareghosthood, last seen
undying the fryway zombing girders with olivoil perfor-
prepupation adsimulators on wiles. Didn't get it,
moved outwards Manny, she and kids the hole fambles.
Device is a turbine thing – ramjambles ambles
all over sud susandly, undenilable (don't try to pet it).
And when the plungent cords break over the dam
misterbeefsteak, he will be sore. He will pry.
He will what he won't – a black stone, high
and dry, with chuffing sails – gills like spam.
At the sinner of his scentful spring, his earth.
The gourd a nerd, the heart hallow-hollow.
Hard after for her to follow,
such was the valor of its nonworth.
And sooner inwobblevolved around a once
and no future star, perfect obloid fear
and crumbling no more becalmed mere
entropy blockbird caulk in a dunce.
Let me toll the doily a daffrunt way, sought H –
but impedible. That was the why, the warfare,
and the wheraboots, Unc – any nightmare
quagmires? H got an F for mere rage, try to catch
the drift but no C him. Illeligible without
the L wort – you can't horde your way onto it,
sled musketears alloverit, or otherwit
pretensisensiboil it – it won't sort
with your teleport, maybe. . . try author prudegram?
Or use six instead of four arms players on yon
deserted turntable floading, honey? Snerd, hon.
Diacryptic manuals for inward psychoblam –
that's how to correct your fluidity somebody wrote
me about that in a fablecrumb and I beheard it.
But weird getting away with mead, er some – what?
The cloy melts in your hounds, and it won't
soul edify – har o har o lee! Crackpates cricketing
under the heart, a like, able blade o fowls –
the wholewheat househowled fellows his scowls.
Preserve my speech. Protect the flowers. Spwing
up, out of these duds. Nakidity Davinity spells
troubladoor on holidie–he sniped us afore,
won't happy agrin like that again – were
mighty nauticoffin him! The wells
rise – H marks the flowline –
slipped–horizontababa –
crown his nick, mama –
follow the stunline,
blick, black, bleak, blick,
time updown undalater too–
boo-boo who?
Slick
whaleye
aroundana
drowna
no lie.
The splitrock darkhouse too heavysuperior,
the dense coral anticork sinks too much
about the unfadable onetime lurch
into the ravine of Dr. Moriory-
won't-let-go so
flow, so
flow,
so
flowers.
Preserve my speech.
Protect my, each
hour's
child.
I'd
I.
*
Musty fell asloop oveer his windpipe – caught
a draft of a stitchnine in his skirtch, Dock
Hand. Lift hymn offa that'millded sock.
She took stock, and he fought
to forget, and he did.
Profume slum on board.
Thing became word.
Hoard and sold, solid
the eye teems with the Klee jug.
The hart craned and anchored
her feet in the iron orelocked
underground clue, or plug.
Bottomland, silent.
Underground spring.
Bekneed the thunderding
of the paramountaint
St. Den, our achscient redeye
vaulting skeward alooft,
but not bereft – fixt
with dove to fly –
wait – huddle in stone, wait,
fly. . .
in the farhigh
dense bluestone height.
The stone that was heavier to have
anywhere but here – we had it.
Now – in the eye – hold it
against the knave.
Evermort. His body weights sandstone
lightwrote chalk or Passover matzo.
The stretched litter hefted below
the bleakening sundown.
Claywater, breadblood, move, labor,
the eyes, the eyes above the myrrh-box
follow, draw you, catch
us the foxes, the eyes draw
vineyard water – purple, darkened green.
Preserve my speech. We are moving
in the light of the startling
starling, singing Bluejay's keen
cry. Protect the flowers.
The flowers spiral backward and
forward simultaneously, and
for better and for worse
you remember it all,
the dead seed at the center,
nailed in your brain. . . enter.
Through the Magdalen wall.
Low negligible memory,
stupidity and heartbreak,
like the echo make
waves that vary
the beaten brass of time.
Stronger than bronze or stone,
strong as the sea – love only
hones you. Climb
the mountain in reverse;
the green cape, air
fresca. Here,
preserve my speech – it is
token, testimony.
Equal to its
bitter fruit.
Hear, see,
the returning wave.
* *
* *
* *
Protect the flowers.
Honor the splinter.
Remember you
were sowers.
H fell asleep.
Dreamed,
eyes. Seemed
at peace, in the deep.
Shores.
Eyes.
Hers.
Oars.
myrrh
mir
mr
h
*
*
*
– was the next mourning when H was startled
awork. The sun was woven mauvepalepiled
greenery in the clues. Hippo horsewhaled?
through his fagged eyepanes. Hurtled
out of a dram. . . he seed his donut
had made a line of oiled filigree allhover
his sleepery napshkin. Firecat hair?
But our literal red prooster whiz was not
at home at home. Some ting was churning
his butane around – an electric charity
or sin otheremouster (achinbet you diamitty
remonstraps) keeps him lourning
how to spill "over" over again and over.
Skyskids thread out the windy – el J
was anchoright, plainting the A-Z sure blue,
barging arolls in his unfargettable olair
trap A-Z stunts. The wait was
toller then, a bell in his hearticulture –
he coffed up would, and will, and won't yer?
and placed with nothing his donut hauls
fright arrows – harmony dates and knights
stombling threw life. . . mariner venues
all aviator the muddy terrain was
wit he had to hit though sites
of swinefed swill makes DR vir umble!
and since H took the fair ferrous fairy ferry
so puny left ironing out a coppair perrier
blackbuttoneye Susan I kinda wumble
about the jumble! on a fowlship
of pet goldy rocks with the treebare blindmen
who mummimble into their bards – Hen,
he's our moany! they quip.
Playin in games with litter, weary
orthopedestrial dockskiddooers, chortling their
metamorpheofriesbeens evegetawhichwhere. . .
Hi Cloonlass! I'm Leery!
But Jaybird's brokeline hepped him overt the
stump – those burgeoning genes of her, iris
the sinflower inno cento pani bliss
me, miss – and soon he felt the clay torte
teacher lawfilling spearspin H's grimmer
drum gram – it was a wishper true
the pine green felthat soilfull of worm, dear –
the licked benny, too, sounded slimmer
in the pi anno domino steereyall, so
H kep skalding firfths and hope sketching
try the roary rogers whims, fetching
his F out of a whole-in-one wan gulf woe.
Sigh. Yello. Up there.
Wail in one.
Black un,
my share, my share.
Of the big mudkey. Bottimberland.
Leftup out of mixmatchngo hand
in behand bee bootful oshemeditashemed
sand, it kneeded sea – D miner? Grand!
I understand Yeti! Rubber baroon?
Nein, yo clock! Uppair yondair!
Seed? Scentrad noon! Upineder
lakeship – irrefractoid tromzomboon!
Thar she blues! Trompetrieglypherglimmergopht!
A little redrhodatlas antic bloke of J-
dimentionall ant der V verohiccupularge
deridable inviter from odor spice – whhuufft. . .
ghost against! Ak ak ak choo choo muh tata
bye the bye vico have sum too fingal V
for viceroy, honey – tizza pettagrabbable humvee!
Widow verity-varied hue mane-stringfed attacha
tatmostphere – hiked! [O H the nerdrighter almist
firgoat to munch on the scramboling whit limb
harping and hoping and warking and waking him
barkfort updown foxy chickland pintagin almust o'blist
the boat, O, H –] Sigh, every evening, just.
Whispering flame. Ecce echo hoho momo J J J J J. . .
an hen was hep to swerve as B-Jay's
missingyva joist adjuster. Moist moss. Must.
Hen lurked off through the pain of the coffin exchange.
Jumpst a whishingle wellworn compostitchin?
The discussion flue off the fun for a wheel, Hen.
Into the distink and the shunlight, the lonerange,
where the guys are nut cloddy auld, die.
A smile shuffled enteepeetoe into a warmhail
barnstern ormus vale, where the shale
clutters the gravinight until all the jiver's pie
ices a G. What cleft? Base.
Turd around what the horizontell hulahooplament –
I dimknow. It, it. . .
gun ovehill now, trice
ooo. . . froth of green, light
on the trees, there.
Limlight. Sore...
woundit.
The sill oven city wafted awful augustus across
the lairdlunding croft. H was no wart to be scene,
there. Nor wuzzy ladling a farthingfamilias, mean
as he shod beanboxes, doughindozeout of lossa
times at the libruptea. Norinow fuzzy ship anymare –
seam to flout wooll the aeroadianrules, fizzicat imp
Ossobile – N was goon in two – the foredementiad chimp!
Goon in deed, wormdundeed – zero!
Sew three b-viper batons, then, off him coatlicurler. Threevieheebeegeebeefreebies, I gas –hansuppine.
Runing on em ties no Hen? Realrooded? Wonder when?
H lookloodoon at him V-uncular's owncoat, viennearler –
and noted Sue Donnelly, there – izzer nukid? No –
j-j-just iz widow penieinyore palm. Lockagain, Hen –
wordsworth mere than thought! Agen – again?
Yes. Wonsmore, smiley. Oncemore, smile, to go.
H piered his gloses, fIxt redeyehaireared finely, tear-
fillie windmore timidlee. True – the flex of a streak
of felt. . . a dive. . . – a dove! – a dove, a dove! Holey boke of
J – owna – dove! Cooed, a contenderly, tenderly – to shore!
Sign me up, beamshot! That's because the oner won!
Dave have the juice – anna hen was lividly nakkered,
two! Dovetailing the too-too! Mannyjillo Qukred
knew, anna coot flew offwiffa V-high five. . . Iz royal, son!
Now the finally began to tune in the numb bros insisting
on H until I jay calculated em no pukin arroundisstuvwax
– why? EZ! He'd like deploy sadsack sax
butt the harmlessmonetary cats peejan nojammers – ohlist!
You node how in sum unkieverses a spearall
is ractionally a street line, well, up from below
came sucha bellow H rose oopshiddering – wo!
Man he was one purrerodeductive eagle – his
spandrift leftall coveralls office behind! And
you node how the curve is forcemain oftener of
mannered manymakers – the way the foxglove
enablehood of manual freed sealaborites was unhand-
erunderhanded out of the why of devilment –
so H producted his prolegrimage inwardly,
toward the veered bluerose, submarinadely –
the hoodlumpcity, I mean, where they were scent –
the southurn port for lostguise – providense,
with pebbles yearning verde lil, and shilldoom
rose – until you hopen your gloomies,
Jim (he's playin lighter tonaught, since
Colette his better halfpaychick popped up
with viola in her boutontoss). So H
was there tootoo, witch gootar in, natch –
loosing his wayward, the curfpup.
Ach the prod of his blunderblind!
What loss of foot was that, what forget!
For there to prod gal was widowed weight
of himselfishmost nest – find
an udder lack, this dumbull! Weak after weak
the lion prude his coursage, lion ivory time.
Is this the spirit? Nay, Rome
thought not. Sneak
and ye shawll be fined! For thus in the mudst
of his waifstirrings, slappackajacking the pigseye
planted amurdshits, unplowdunt, his memsigh
opened–he numbered his fader – J.D., just.
In time it was. For his bird-day was springing
toward the last para-trump, and was it time? In
time it was. Trump April last – for the twin
springing was daddy-bird his, for birthdaying!
For twelve is a happy numby, and April
a pleasant isthmus, all gold together nicily
though in Minersoda ice frizzy sumdaytimely!
Them twinners were pretty cities, Will –
still are they! Arise then, and gold –
we shall pellmell pilgrummage our wheaty
way homeward now, and celebeatify
the drum for he is raisin hupahole hold
fulla goldbroth and cisterns! He is raisin,
thought the vinelady – gripin abit at the pall – but
wheelbarrow it an iron it an roost it an itwill all
comb outa gain in the washingtons. Jeffersin?
Me? Not know – right left wrought lift rut loft
all the siamese twines will process us cheese us
milk us bore us bier us berry us cream us
dream us as Oswego along the rusty rus trailaloft
the bearing straitened circumnavastints
in the Pete's sacreblueship toward the originatal
redman – a dimeforhis name? – is omegal
too one zero and we shall meet him in the quint
existenting tonight on the old campground
on our way now to Indian Point. Himalayatied out
yet? Not yet? Then pint your ompeter toward at
land–tissue you almond joy yet? Stormepetrel bound?
(O Petrasbornagains, O svleet Musk-
ovyntights – all Meldamshtombletamed! Hichikehukfinnaginjompluliltrainsetgoald!
Who Akmelvdovatend, who Tsvetavelvattuned,
whocoowhorldinalbatrysted, frosencaroltruthedusk.)
Nay, the horses are in fInal fedders and wee flying.
Through the greenmoss ways by the quiet waters,
by the oxenford, near where Actemydovie totters
along with to sieve her mettle, warning and warmin
here loving piece all the way to Petroglad, finally;
and well pick Nuckleheadup along the Wye, playing flowt
and flowering flowcraft, like Jimi Hucktrix and what
Bea J Hen can seagal us a supthere, friendly
among the gould keelover flowerpunters,
those steady-eyed treefellers and form farmers
like granite under the holy rollercoasters,
a sprungfeedle farmcanter. A witbull H-er's
resting on the Blackstone shoulders, his liberty
a done thing everydeeday, as we canterbury
along, long plowman's wake – and a very gradumerry
grape it is, ripe to the buddies, from a little tree–
near the edge of the Terrace
the limbs all black and thorny
the buds, just barely
the green moss
soft, tender
spring whispers
kindness now, and grief. Hers,
yours, ours. Wonder
gathering me
toward you
grew –
see
the end of the journey now
spirals to this crown, Henry –
yours. From me.
I go – your
father – where Bluejay goes,
for I will journey
to my chamber – see,
Jerusalem! – she flows
from my heart – to the end.
A straight road steadies every
spiral, son – I run today
toward mine. Mend
your way. A hard and narrow raceway
glides the ark toward solid haven.
Nor will I cease my pilgrimage – when
(hesitant and grieving now) my God will say –
how stubborn grew the rose! How
stub born grew the rose stub
born grew the rose stub born
grew the rose stub born grew
the rose stub born grew the
rose.
4.10.98 (Good Friday)
Bluejay's rose window
Speaker's Corner (Roger Williams National Memorial)
Hope anchor monument (Swan Pt. Cemetery)
