CAConrad in Praise of the Poet’s Early Work
In 2023, when the lost Beatles song “Now and Then” was released, my aunt Ruth contacted every relative, friend, and acquaintance to announce the very exciting news of The Fab Four’s recovered, final song. She even contacted friends who had become enemies, but her joyous tone about the tune made them all friends again; her enthusiasm danced life back into her body and back into love she had thought lost. The ghost had one more song. It was surreal to me because I remembered their music on the radio as a kid and seeing John and Yoko on TV in their Peace Bed, but Aunt Ruth had most definitely masturbated to at least one, if not all four of their photos, and she was the happiest person I knew in 2023.Article continues after advertisement
The truth is, the Beatles’ song was never lost; it was just unfinished and unused until now. The following year, in September, 2024, Eileen Myles called to say a poem they wrote in the 1970s that had never been published was possibly going to appear in a new book and asked if I would take a look at it. I had no idea what it was going to be! Like the lost Beatles song, this epic poem was actually not lost, just unused until now, and I read it several times in disbelief! This long poem, “Bird Watching,” was a masterpiece!
