Untitled poem (from the back sleeve of Lick My Decals Off Baby) by Don Van Vliet

Noon bouncin’ ball of warm beside child
Deflating ah vegelife puzzle
Ah braking ball of wings, legs, leaves, lives, behives
Movies from each comb
Each pocket ‘n drones bouncin’ cones
Prisms that melt flesh ‘n bones
Dust ‘n dark dusklite
None numb numerals
Noon ball warm beside the child
Earholes, eye holes, airholes
Dance, deflate, inflate meat rainbows
Flesh bonnets her hair woven
Toes kick dust away
Drops
Blue, yellow, red, green clocks
Her heart pumps, stops, starts, plays, drops
Eyes roll
Rocks back ‘n forth
She played through the sun stuck out her tongue
Stood on each of three decals
She licked each one

Many thanks to Michael Stanowski for sending this along.

(1970)

1 Comment

  1. I went looking for my Lick my decals off baby jacket, writing down the bones, first thought, best thought, the energy of emptiness, the Beat Generation’s teaching, red, blue green clocks, And this first hit in my human heart.
    Thank you Captain Beefheart.

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