“SEA” by Jack Kerouac

“SEA” by Jack Kerouac

Sound of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur

“SEA”

Cherson!

You aint just whistlin

Dixie, Sea------

Cherson! Cherson !

We calcimine fathers

here below!

Kitchen light on-----

Sea Engines from Russia

seabirding here below-----

When rocks outsea froth

I’ll know Hawaii

cracked up & scramble

up my doublelegged cliff

to the silt of

a million years-----

Shoo-----Shaw-----Shirsh-----

Go on die salt light

You billion yeared

rock knocker

Gavroom

Seabird

Gabroobird

Sad as wife & hill

Loved as mother & fog

Oh! Oh! Oh!

Sea! Osh!

Where’s yr little Neppytune

tonight?

These gentle tree pulp pages

which’ve nothing to do

with yr crash roar,

liar sea, ah,

were made for rock

tumble seabird digdown

footstep hollow weed

move bedarvaling

crash? Ah again?

Wine is salt here?

Tidal wave kitchen?

Engines of Russia

in yr soft talk------

Les poissons de la mer

parle Breton------

Mon nom es Lebris

de Keroack

Parle, Poissons, Loti,

parle------

Parlning Ocean sanding

crash the billion rocks------

Ker plotsch------

Shore------shoe------

god------brash------

The headland looks like

a longnosed Collie sleeping

with his light on his

nose, as the ocean,

obeying its accomodations

of mind, crashes in

rhythm of sand

thought------

------Big frigging shoulders

on that sonofabitch

Parle, O, parle, mer, parle,

Sea speak to me, speak

to me, your silver you light

Where hole opened up in Alaska

Gray------sh------wind in

The canyon wind in the rain

Wind in the rolling rash

Moving and t wedel

Sea

sea

Diving sea

O bird------la vengeance

De la roche

Cossez

Rare, he rammed the gate

rare over by Cherson, Cherson,

we calcify fathers here below

------a watery cross, with weeds

entwined------This grins restoredly,

low sleep------Wave------Oh, no,

shush------Shirk------Boom plop

Neptune now his arms extends

while one millions of souls

sit lit in caves of darkness

------What ols bark? The dog

mountain? Down by the Sea

Engines? God rush------Shore------

Shaw------Shoo------Oh soft sigh

we wait hair twined like

larks------Pissit------Rest not

------Plottit, bisp tesh, cashes,

re tav, plo, aravow,

shirsh,------Who’s whispeing over

there------the silly earthen creek!

The fog thunders------We put

silver light on face------We

took the heroesin------A billion

years aint nothing------

O the cities here below!

The men with a thousand

arms! the stanchions of

their upward gaze! the

coral of their poetry! the

sea dragons tenderized, meat

for fleshy fish------

Navark, navark, the fishes

of the Sea speak Breton------

wash as soft as people’s

dreams------We got peoples

in & out the shore, they call

it shore, sea call it

pish rip plosh------The

5 billion years since

earth we saw substantial

chan------Chinese are

the waves------the woods

are dreaming

No human words bespeak

the token sorrow older

than old this wave

becrashing smarts the

sand with plosh

of twirléd sandy

thought------Ah change

the world? Ah set

the fee? Are rope the

angels in all the sea?

Ah ropery otter

barnacle’d be------

Ah cave, Ah crosh!

A feathery sea

Too much short------Where

Miss Nop tonight?

Wroten Kerarc’h

in the labidalian

aristotelian parl

with slime a middle

------And Ranti forner

who pulled pearls by

rope to throne

the King by

the roll in the

forest of averseas?

Not everseas, be seas

----------Creep

Crash

The woman with her body

in the sea------The frog who

never moves & thunders, sharsh

------The snake with his body

under the sand------The dog

with the light on his nose,

supine, with shoulders so

enormous they reach back to

rain crack------These leaves hasten

to the sea------We let them

hasten to be wetted & give

em that old salt change, a

nuder think will make you see

they originate from the We Sea

anyway------No dooming booms

on sunday afternoons------We

run thru the core of cliffs,

blam up caves, disengage no

jelly or jellied pendant

thinkers------

Our armies of

anchored seaweed in the

coves give of the smell

of jellied salt------

Reach, reach, some leaves

havent hastened near

enuf------Roll, roll, purl

the sand shark floor

a greeny pali andarva

------Ah back------Ah forth------

A shish------Boom, away,

doom, a day------Vein we

firm------The sea is We------

Parle, parle, boom the

earth------Arree------Shaw,

Sho, Shoosh, flut,

ravad, tapavada pow,

coof, loof, roof, ------

No,no,no,no,no,no------

Oh ya, ya, ya, yo, yair------

Shhh------

Which one? the one? Which

one? The one ploshed------

The ploshed one? the same,

ah boom------Who’s that ant

that giant golden saltchange

ant magnifying my mountain

of feet? ‘Tis Finder, finding

the change in thought to join

the boomer hangers in the

cave a light------And built a

house above it? Never fear,

naver foir, les bretons qui

parlent la langue de la Mar

sont espanol comme le cul

du Kurd qui dit le maha

prajna paramita du Sud ?

Ah oui ! Ke Vlum !

Glum sea, silent me------

They aint about to try

it them ants who wear

out tunnels in a week

the tunnel a million years

won------no------Down around

the headland slobs for weed,

the chicken of the sea

go yak! they sleep------

Aroar, aroar, arah, aroo------

Otter me otter me daughter me sea

------me last blue lagoon inside of

me, the sea------Divine is the

substance all over the Sea---

Of space we speak &

hasten------Let no mouth

swallow the sea------Gavril------

Gavro------the Cherson chinese

& Old Fingernail sea------Is

ringin yr ear? Dier, dee?

Is Virgin you trying to

fathom me

Tiresome old sea, aint you sick

& tired of all of this merde?

this incessant boom boom

& sand walk------you people

hoary rockies here to Fuegie

& never get sad? Or despair

like a German phoney?

Just gloom booboom & green

on foggy nights------the fog is part

of us------

I know, but tired

as I can be listening to all

this silly majesty------

Basho!

Lao!

Pop!

Who is this fish

sitting unsunk? Run up

a Hawaii typhoon smash him

against his rock------We’ll jelly you,

jellied man, show you essential

jello of the sea------King

of the Sea.

No Monarc’h ever Irish be?

Ju see the Irish sea?

Green winds on tamarack vines------

Joyce------James------Shhish------

Sea------------Sssssss------see

------------Varash

------------mnavash la vache

écriture------the sea dont say

muc’h actually------

Gosh, she,

huzzy, tow, led men

on, Ulysses and all them

fair headed moin------

Terplash, & what difference

make! One little white

spark of light!

Hair woven hands

Penelope seaboat

smeller------Courtiers in

Telemachus ‘sguise

dropedary dropedary

creep------Or------

Franc gold rippled

that undersea creek

where fish fish for

fisher men------Salteen

breen the wet Souwesters

of old Portugee Prayers

Tsall tangled, changed,

salt & drop the sand

& weed & water brains

entangled------Rats

of old Venetian yellers

Ariel Calibanned

to Roma Port------

Pow------spell------

Speak you parler,

in this my mother’s

parlor, wash your

undershoes when you

come in, say thanks

to foggy moon

Go brash, Topahta

offat, ------we’ll gray

ye rose------Morning

primord creeper sees

the bird of paravision

dying tweet the yellow

mouthroof! How sweet

the earth, yells sand!

Xcept when tumble

boom!

O we wait too

for Heaven------ all

in One------

All is there

in fair & sight

I’m going wash now

old Pavia down,

& pack my salt

to Either Town------

Cliffs of Antique

aint got no rose,

the morning’s seen

the ledder pose------

Boom de boom dey

the sea is me------

We are the sea------

It aint all snow

We wash Fujiyama down

soon, & sand

crookbird back------

We hie bash

rock------------ak------

Long short------

Long and easy------

Wind & many freezing

bottoms an luckrock------

Rappaport------

Endymion thou tangled

dreamer love my thigh

------Rose, Of Shelley,

Rose, O Urns!

Ogled urns in fish eye

Cinco sea the Chico sea

the Magellan headland sea

------What hype sideral did he put down

bending beatnik sea goatee

over old goat manuscripts

to find the other side of Flat?

See round, see the end of me?

Rounden huge bedoom?

Awp hole cave & shwrul------

sand & salt & hair eyes

------Strong enuf to make

coffee grow in your hair------

Whose plantation Neptune got?

That of Atlas still down there,

Hesperid’s his feet, Sur his sleet,

Irish Sea fingertip

& Cornwall aye his soul

bedoom

Shurning------Shurning------plop

be dosh------This sigh old learning’s

high beside me------Rough

old hands have played out

pedigree, we’ve sunk more boats

than dreamer’ll ever ever see

------Burning------Burning------The world

is burning & needs waaater

------I’ll have a daughter,

oughter, wait & see------

Churning, Churning, Me------

Panties------Painties------

these ancient fancies are

so girling------You’ve not seen

mermaids in my actual sea

------You’ve not seen sexlss babies

with breasts of Majesty------

My wife------My wife------

Her name is Oh so really

high life

The low life Kingdom where

we part out tea, is sea

side Me------

Josh------coof------patra------

Aye ee mo powsh------

Ssst------Cum here read me------

Dirty postcard------Urchin sea------

Karash your name------?

Wanta swim, sink or swim?

Ears ringing again?

Sea vibrate rhythm

crash sets off cave

hanger blowers whistling

dog ear back------to sea------

Arree------

Gerudge Napoleon nada------

Nada

Pluto eats the sea------

Room------

Hands folded by the sea------

“On est toutes cachez, mange

le silence,“ dit les poissons de la

mer------Ah Mar------Gott------

Thalatta------Merde------Marde

de mer------Mu mer------Mak a vash------

The ocean is the mother------

Je ne suis pas mauvaise quand j’sui

tranquil------dans les tempetes

j’cri ! Come une folle !

j’mange, j’arranche toutes!

Clock------Clack------Milk------

Mai! mai! mai! ma!

says the wind blowing sand------

Pluto eats the sea------

Ami go------------da------che pop

Go------Come------Cark------

Care------Kee ter da vo

Kataketa pow! Kek kek kek!

Kwakiutl! Kik!

Some of theserather taratasters

trapped hyra tchere thaped

the anadondak ram ma lat

round by Krul to Pat the lat

rat the anaakakalked

romon t o t t e k

Kara VOOOM

frup------

Feet cold? wade------Mind sore?

sim------sin------Horny? ------lay the sea?

Corny? try me------

Ussens here hang no more

here we go, ka va ra ta

plowsh, shhh,

and more, again, ke vlook

ke bloom & here comes

big Mister Trosh

------more waves coming,

every sillable windy

Back wash palaver

paralarle------paralleling

parle pe Saviour

A troblesome spirit

hanging here cant make it

in the void------The sea’ll

only drown me------These words

are affectations

of sick mortality------

We try to make our way

in self reliance, aid

not ever comes too quick

from whereever & whatever

heaven dear may have

suggested to promise us------

But these waves scare me------

I am going to die

in full despair------

Wake up where?

On second breath in life

the atmosphere is dearer

maybe closer to Heaven

------------Oh Paradise------------

Is the sea really so bad?

Have you sent men

here for this cold clown

& monstrous eater at the

world? whose sound

I mock?

God I’ve got believe in you

or live in death!

Will you save us------all?

Soon or now?

Send illumination

to our drowning brains

------We’re pitiful, Lord,

we need yr help!

Save us, Dear------

(Save yourself, God man,

ha ha!)

If you were God man

you’d command these waves

to very well Tennyson stop

& even Tennyson

is dear

now dead

Leave it to the light

Concern yourself with supper,

& an eye

somebody’s eye------a wife,

a girl, a friend, an animal

------a blood let drop------

he for his sea,

he for his fire,

thee for thy desire

“The sea drove me away

& yelled ‘Go to your desire!’

------As I hurried up the valley

It added one last yell:-

‘And laugh!”

Even the sea cant stop me from

writing something to read in my old age

------This is the chart of brief forms,

this sea the briefest------Shish yourself------

After scaring me like that, Mar,

I’ll excoriate yr slum------yr

iodine weeds & slime hoops,

even yr dried hollow seaweed

stinks------you stink all over------

Boom------Try that, creep------

The little Monterey fishingboat

glides downward home 15 miles to go,

be home to fried fish & beer b’five------

It guides the sea its bird routes------

------Silver loss forever outward

------From blue sky of human bridges

to the massive mawcloud sea center

heap------to the gray------

Some boys call it gunboat blue,

or gray, but I call it

the Civil War of Rocks

------Rocks ‘come air, rocks ‘come water,

& rocks rocks------

Kara tavira, mnash grand bash

------poosh l’abas------croosh

L’a haut------Plash au pied------

Peeeee------Rolle test boulles------

Manche d’la rache------

The handsome King prevails

over boom sing bird head------

“Crache tes idées,” spit yr ideas

says the sea, to me, quite

appro priate ly------

Pss! pss! pss!

Ps! girl inside!

Red shoes scum, eyes of old

sorceres, toenails hanging down

in the barrel of old firkin cheese

the Dutchman forgot t’eat that

tempest

nineteen O

sixteen------

When torpedoed by gunboat

Pedro in the Valley

of a Million Fees?

When Magellan crosseyed

ate the Amazonian feet------

And, Ah, when Colombo cross’t!

When Drake sir francised the waves

with feeding of the blue jay

dark------pounded his aleward

tank before the boom,

housed up all thoughts of Erik

the Red the Greenland caperer

& builder of rockdungs in New

Port------New------yet

Oldport Indian Fishhead------

Oldport Tattoo Kwakiutl Headpost

taboo potash Coyotl potlatch?

Old Primitive Columbia.------

Named for Colom bus?

Name for Aruggio Vesmarica------

Ar!------Or!------Da!

What about Verrazano?

he sailed!------

He Verrazano zailed & we

statened his Island in on deep

in on dashun------

Rotted the Wallower?

Sinners liars goodmen all

sink waterswim drink Neptune’s

nectar the zal sotat------------

Zal sotate name for crota?

Crota ta crotte, you aint

‘bout to find (Jesus Christian!)

any dry turds here below------

Why fo no?

Go crash yonder rock

of bleak with yr filet mignon teeth

& see------For you, the hearth,

the heart, the lock of hair------

For me, for us, the Sea,

the murdering of time by eating

lusty cracks of lip feed wave

at aeons of sandy artistry

till nothing’s left but old age

newmorning primordial pain

of sitters by

the unborn

bird

of roses yet undone------

With weeds your roses,

sand crabs your hummers?

With buzzers in the sea!

With runners in the deep!

This Sceptred Osh, this wide leg

spanning rock U.S. to rock

Ja Pan, this onstable

roller roaming all,

this ploosher at yr gory

dry dung door, this mouth

of silverwhite arring to hold thee,

this purger of conscience

arra for thee------

No mouse in here but’s got

a little glee------and

aft, or oft, the osprey

in his glee’s agley------

Oh purty purty ocean

me------

Sop! bring the Scepter down

Again you’ve accepted me!

Breathe our iodine, filthy yr drink,

faint at feet wet, drop

yr profile move it in the sea,

float weeded watery Adonais

longs for thee------& Shelley three,

that’s three------burn in salt

with slow most change------

We’ve had no crack at eternity

in a billion years of trying------

one grain of sand possesses

3 thousand worlds of glee------

not to mention me------

Ah sea

Ah si------Ah so------

shoot------shiver------mix------

ha roll------tara------ta ta------

curlurck------Kayash------Kee------

Pearls pearls in the yellow West

------Yellow sky to China------

Pacific we named here

water as always meeting

water------Pacific Pacific

Pacific tapfic------geroom------

gedowsh------gaka------gaya------

Tatha------gata------mana------

What sails used old bhikkus?

Dhikkus? Dhikkus!

What raft mailed Mose

to the hoven dovepost?

What saved Blackswirl

from the Kidd plank?

What Go-Bug here?

Seet! Seeeeeeeeeee

eeeeeee------kara------

Pounders out yar------

Big Sur they call this sand

these rocks this creek?

Raton Canyon by name pours

Coyote leaves & old Pomo bones

& old dust of Tomahawks

into your angler’d maw------

My salt maw shall salvage

Taylors------sewing in the room

below------

Sewing weed shrat for hikers

in the milky silt------

Sewing crosswards

for certainty------Sartan

are we of Price Victory

in this salt War with thee

& thine thee jellied yink!

Look O the sea here called

Pacific Sea!

T a k i !

My golden empty soul’ll

outlast yr salty sill

------the Windows of my jelly eye

& fish head muck look out on thee,

slit, with cigar-a-mouth,

some contempt------

Yet I hie me to see you

------you hie thee to eat

me------Fair in sight

and worn, aright------

Arra! Aroo!

Ger der va------

Silly silent cities in the sea

have children playing cardboard

mush with eignyard old Englander

beeplates slickered oer with scum

of histories below------

No tempest as still & awful

as the tempest within------

Sorcerer hip! Buddhalands

& Buddhaseas!

What sails Maudgalyayana used

he only knows to tell

but got kilt by yellers

sreaming down the cliff

“Let’s go home!

Now!”

------leave marge smashed djamas

Maudgalyayana was murdered by the sea------

But the sea dont tell------

The sea dont murder------

The seadrang scholars

oughter know that

go back to School

Hear over there the ocean motor?

Feel the splawrsh of it?

Six silly centepedes here, Machree------

Ah Ratatatatatat------

the machinegun sea, rhythmic

balls of your pouring in

with smooth eglantinee

in yr pedigreed milkpup

tenor------

Tinder marsh aright arrooo------

arrac’h------arrache------

Kamac’h------monarc’h------

Kerarc’h Jevac’h------

Tamana------------gavow------

Va------Voovla------Via------

Mia------mine------

sea

poo

Farewell, Sur------

Didja ever tell him

about water meeting water------?

O go back to otter------

Term------Term------Klerm

Kerm------Kurn------Cow------Kow------

Cash------Cac’h------------Cluck------

Clock------Gomeat sea need

be deep I see you

Enoc’h

soon anarf

in Old Brittany

21 August 1960

Pacific Ocean at Big Sur

California