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“Dog” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

December 5, 2022 - Harry Ransom Center

“Dog” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Dog

by LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI

The dog trots freely in the street

and sees reality

and the things he sees

are bigger than himself

and the things he sees

are his reality

Drunks in doorways

Moons on trees

The dog trots freely thru the street

and the things he sees

are smaller than himself

Fish on newsprint

Ants in holes

Chickens in Chinatown windows

their heads a block away

The dog trots freely in the street

and the things he smells

smell something like himself

The dog trots freely in the street

past puddles and babies

cats and cigars

poolrooms and policemen

He doesn’t hate cops

He merely has no use for them

and he goes past them

and past the dead cows hung up whole

in front of the San Francisco Meat Market

He would rather eat a tender cow

than a tough policeman

though either might do

And he goes past the Romeo Ravioli Factory

and past Coit’s Tower

and past Congressman Doyle

He’s afraid of Coit’s Tower

but he’s not afraid of Congressman Doyle

although what he hears is very discouraging

very depressing

very absurd

to a sad young dog like himself

to a serious dog like himself

But he has his own free world to live in

His own fleas to eat

He will not be muzzled

Congressman Doyle is just another

fire hydrant

to him

The dog trots freely in the street

and has his own dog’s life to live

and to think about

and to reflect upon

touching and tasting and testing everything

investigating everything

without benefit of perjury

a real realist

with a real tale to tell

and a real tail to tell it with

a real live

               barking

                            democratic dog

engaged in real

                          free enterprise

with something to say

                                     about ontology

something to say

                             about reality

                                                  and how to see it

                                                                            and how to hear it

with his head cocked sideways 

                                                  at streetcorners

as if he is just about to have

                                               his picture taken

                                                                           for Victor Records

                                  listening for

                                                      His Master’s Voice

                      and looking

                                         like a living questionmark

                                                                        into the

                                                                     great gramaphone

                                                                   of puzzling existence

                 with its wondrous hollow horn

                         which always seems

                     just about to spout forth

                                                            some Victorious answer

                                                                      to everything

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (American, 1919–2021) was a poet, essayist, activist, and co-founder of San Francisco’s City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. He was also a prolific visual artist. The Ransom Center recently acquired a collection of Ferlinghetti’s sketchbooks, paintings, drawings, and prints, including original cover designs for two books of his poetry. A sampling of this acquisition, a generous gift and partial purchase from the Lawrence Ferlinghetti Artworks Trust, is on display this fall in the Ransom Center’s gallery.

Image: Photo of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, City Lights Books editorial office, San Francisco. Copyright © 1984 by Allen Ginsberg, courtesy of the Allen Ginsberg Estate and used by permission of The Wylie Agency LLC.

Filed Under: Authors, Featured1, Featured2 Tagged With: Beat Generation, poetry

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