Me & Ginsberg

Since I first read his most famous poem Howl as a young teenager, I have been enamored with Allen Ginsberg. Obviously, as a young teenager I was excited by the freshness and rebelliousness of his subject matter; I was inspired by his frank discussion of issues dear to my heart, like drugs, homosexuality, and the bohemian life. I would combine his poetry with the substances he was writing about for a refreshing and inspiring boost. As I mature, and my knowledge of poetry along with me, I appreciate more and more the vulnerability in his work. He unflinchingly expresses his hero worship of Kerouac and Cassidy, his fear of growing older, and his insecurity about his unwillingness to procreate, among other things. I think it's inspiring to be putting ones' insecurities on the page like that.

Up until recently, I considered my style very close to his. For example, he prefers writing about society and its ills, and his personal relationships, over nature. He likes to be ungrammatical, and give his poetry a sense of urgency by leaving out words.

But as this class and the other poetry class I'm taking force me to look closer at style over content, I'm paying more attention to the way I write myself. Despite the years I spent eagerly copying him, my poetry is really has grown to be quite different. I tend to use short lines, be much more vague, and use more concrete imagery than him too. It's a nice feeling, knowing that even when not trying to be unique, everyone can't help but be themselves in their writing.