I got a gig!

Back when David was alive, I used to write nonsense verse for him all the time. He gave tons of parties on people's birthdays, or when they retired, or got married, or had a baby, etc. He used different gimmicks to work the poem into the party entertainment-for example, he'd have me write the poem to the tune of a well known song and everyone, or a group of people, would sing it. He also might use a theme, and have each teacher read a poem that expanded on the theme. Once,
when he they were taking a well-liked principal (David was a school teacher) out on a dinner cruise to celebrate his retirement, he had me write a musical episode of Gilligan's Island, with different teachers playing the various characters (Skipper, Mary Ann, etc.) If you think this is a good ides and would like to do something similar for a friend or relative, just email me at dialawriter@yahoo.com I'll give you some examples in the next few posts.
Anyway, the gig is that a guy in the church choir called. He says some church people have decided to have a "beatnik style" coffee house on March 7. He wants me to write some "beatnik style" poems to read while a guy plays bongo drums. Now, of course, I have absolutely no idea what a "beatnik style" poem is. If any of you know of a good site to go to to learn, I would appreciate it if you'd let me know! All I know is a poem that Maynard G. Krebs read in a beatnik coffeehouse on the Dobie Gillis Show way back in my childhood. It was:

"Little bird,

With your beak pressed up against the pet store window,

There is no birdseed for you today,

Only death!"

More later...

Here is a link to actual beatnik poetry