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Dick McBride: One of the last of the Beat poets

October 25th, 2012

Dick McBride was a poet of the Beat Generation who acted as a literary bridge between the United States and Britain, bringing the writings and spirit of the Beats to this country. In books and in performances of his own works and those of fellow writers, he sought to broaden awareness of the poets who had made such an impact on American writing.

Read the rest at The Independent.

Richard William McBride: 1928-2012

August 28th, 2012

Dick McBride died peacefully at his home in Colwall, Herefordshire on Tuesday 28th August 2012.

Grass

As grass grows
So ceases sorrow
Madness welcomes sanity
Anger burns out
Hearts open again
Like roses rising in
The ashes of memory
So ceases sorrow
As the rubber of the sun
Erases the blackboard fog
Of desperate blindness
So ceases sorrow
Iron hands
Tied in knots of
Bound joy
Released as
The grass grows again
After the noise
Of hungry blades
Swift clocks brightening
Smiles of daisies in
Recently mown lawns
Softening the claws
In soft paws
Of sleep
Wounds heal
So ceases the
Sorrow of muddy rain
Erupting like glue
On palm-tree sands
And yet the grass grows again
Still the sun shines
As tall, green blades
Surgically remove doors
Of halls and
Cupboards hiding old taboos
As the grass grows
So ceases sorrow
And the grass grows again

From Remembered America: Poems by Dick McBride (Rue Bella, 2004)

The Astonished I (Excerpt)

June 2nd, 2009

Dick McBride reads the first chapter of The Astonished I.

The author recalls a conversation that he had with Jack Kerouac, who had phoned City Lights to talk to Lawrence Ferlinghetti about publishing Visions of Cody.

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