Excerpts from the Notebooks of Philip Whalen
Curated by Brian Unger
18 : IX : 67
Autumn now comes
Triumph chrysanthemum harvest
Ripe leaves and grape gold sheaves
Moon burnished persimmon
Pomegranate and pumpkin
Goldenrod sapphire and wine
The spirit perishes when the season turns
Exhausted by summer, the autumn
Finds me sick as March and winter just past
What do I see a hundred fish in the Kamo River
who survived 70 miles of poison
2 million fishermen
flash silver jump
bug feed flip
what do I see the fish seller catches a fly
looks at it, squeezes it to death,
no place to wipe his fingers
what do I see the big fat baby in his pram
seriously examining lotus root
what do I see the sky is overcast for Autumn
full moon invisible mochi rabbit mortar