Without
Blinking:
Zen
& the Art of Driving 100milesperhour
past Mayor Abramson & others from
Twice Told Coffeehouse on Bardstown Road to the Airport
Part
IV: Down & Out in Kentucky
Allen
Ginsberg: The Bridge
It's
not legal today to drive 100milesperhour up or down Bardstown Road and it wasn't
legal midday October 2nd 1992 but I had a feeling ever since early morning when
I picked Allen Ginsberg up at The Seelbach preparing to spend at least half a
day roaming the backstreets alleys and riverfront of Louisville searching for
Walt Whitman's ghost plus hopefully a pair of khakis from Goodwill on Broadway
for Allen since he'd somehow ripped the pair he had on his only pair at the University
of Louisville reading the night before reading and singing to an audience of 1,500
which was awed Ahed and often teareyed electrified or maybe he ripped them at
The Bristol round 2AM anyway while waiting inside the door of Allen's room ready
to exit carrying his bags he said "just a minute" and took a leak and
I, feeling a little uncomfortable, asked "what time does your flight leave"
and for some reason I wasn't satisfied with his answer so after lunch at Twice
Told Coffeehouse after we looked in at Guitar Emporium for a lefthanded banjo
for Peter Orlovsky but no one waited on us so Allen left his card we stepped back
onto the street into the borrowed car with Kent and Mark climbing into back seats
I prodded again "why don't you just double check your airline ticket"
and he did and yes his flight is an hour earlier than he'd remembered and we have
less than ten minutes to departure and he has to be in Lowell Massachusetts tonight
cause he's the featured poet at the Annual Jack Kerouac Festival so I'm driving
like a bat out of hell 100milesperhour midday Bardstown Road my senses open employing
maximum peripheral awareness watching for pedestrians cars cops surrounding our
borrowed car and us with lightning electric white light white heat as we speed
to airport passing Mayor Abramson in limo and others all open mouthed gaping staring
in disbelief and I tell Allen that we're bringing Amiri Baraka in two weeks and
Allen's excited talking as fast as I'm driving telling all about Amiri and I look
in rearview mirror and see Kent and Mark mouths open wondering whether we'll survive
without getting arrested or killed or killing on this yet another insane trip
and finally we arrive at airport I hit the flashers and we're off walking as fast
as we can knowing Allen's health not great we jump on moving walkway still walking
fast when suddenly Allen takes off running and Kent Mark and I look at each other
scratch our heads and by time Allen ten yards ahead we leap into run and when
we're within three yards he turns stops and just as we are midstride airborn mouths
ajar feeling like 3 stooges 3 monkeys 3 idiots Allen takes photo then turns in
stride and we're all off running again arriving as gate being pulled to we yell
"WAIT" then Allen turns gives us each hug kiss on cheek says sincerest
"Thank You" and is gone.
