Canto CXXIII

Ava piece a banana BOYZ sed the Commish
                                                  PONG CHOOEY
Ternight yer in fer a real treat
                         and alla manyata
     stripped down to her knees and there a mantle
     a mantle of finest ivory that Casticcini made or Ezra
Let us alone / or like Yeatsy "Let me
ALONE" and Radinbranath in Terhune
reading the Chicago papers and asking after Minsky
the burlesk Minsky BANGGONG          and the gold dust
                              hit in the face
his teeth broken his gold teeth broken O Anna Magnami
the pity that has broken my doily
          SAITH Themis     and
 my rock garden is empty no flower
          nor beast pusheth
                    because of phooey
          Phooey hath eaten my garden
                              Evil the cowslip
               and the gem
                    that are tainted with phooey
                                        dit Wang Chu
                                             972 B.C.
And you will grow up to be a high commercial
So that people of esteem will read your versus
Then you shall return to this valley and teach eating
                    For who hath eaten phooey
                    Returneth not unto paradise
Dem mudder fuckers doan unnerstan me
Said the Princess Toy Ling A.D. 1922
Dey doan unnerstan nutttin but smut
That was the year the doves fell at Livorgno
Six thousand of them and Caspia walking among them
From morning till night until finally there was nothing
But her feet and then nothing
But her ankles as white as doves
                              nothing but ankles moving
               I have brought these jewels to Mantua
               I have been fortunate in my choice of birds
   for this beak eateth phooey
                                        PING CHONG
for this beak eateth Ping Chong phooey.


-- Ezra Pound (written by Kenneth Koch)

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From Kulchur 2, no. 5 (spring 1962).