Allen Ginsberg [Cherry Valley, NY] to Gary Snyder [Kyoto, Japan] July 8, 1968

Dear Gary:

Kept putting off writing because I had so much to say, so I’ll be brief. I bought (or am buying) a farm upstate NY, isolated 2000 feet up near Cooperstown, surrounded by State Forest – 70 acres and old 8 room house $9,000.00, spending a few thousand more to fix up for the winter. Peter and Julius been up there several months, Gregory Corso and his girl, Barbara Rubin pining for me (ugh!) (ouch I mean) and a young competent film-maker farm couple. We have 3 goats (I now milk goats) 1 cow 1 horse (chestnut mare for pleasure) 15 chickens 3 ducks 2 geese 2 fantail pigeons, small barn right size, nearby a friendly hermit been up there sans electric since 1939 teaching us how to manage and what to repair. More Kibbutz than commune, very loose, but the place is getting organized, Julius has work to do and speaks, Peter’s mostly off meth and calm. No electric, now hand pump, we’re digging well up in our woods so as to have gravity fed running water. 15 acres of woods one side, the other sides all state woods permanent – pine oak and maple etc. Got lotsa books on flowers. Table is meatless, we eat fish tho. So that’s started. Will also build simpler place sooner or later in California land. Visited Tassajara finally one nite.

Local (U.S.A.) sociopolitics confusing. This yippie hippie be-in shot in Chicago has been a big drag since undercurrents of violence everywhere (state and street Black Mask etc.) make peaceful gestures seem silly. Yippie organization’s in wrong hands sort of. Would like to get out or redirect it to some kind of prepositional new nation confabulation, but I don’t have time.

Finished proofs of Planet News Poems 61-67 for Ferlinghetti, and Indian Journals for Auerhahn Haselwood. Next, collected poesy volume and collected interview/essay/manifesto volume to compile – all work’s done except editing that.

Skandas Snyder??? Sounds Norwegian (Poor l’il Skandas). Well lets see, a name – lets see the body of bliss first. Other gossip – I’d spent ¾ hour w/ Robert Kennedy discussing pot, ecology, acid, cities, etc. a month before he started running for Prexy and died. Peter/ meth big Karmaic problem. Gave up (drifted off) sex with him to take off pressure if that was it. Lightens our relations a lot.

I’m driving to Mexico w/ brother and 5 nephews and sister in law, 2 weeks and thence to SF again meet my father and show him around 2 weeks – then likely back to the farm – maybe trip out to convention Chicago and back, hole in for several months.

Wrote one fantastical poem about being screwed in ass with repeated refrain “please master” which really got me a little embarrassed, but read it at last SF Poesy Renaissance big reading and it turned out to be, as usual, universal, one hole or another, one sex or another. Really amazing year after year I stumble on to areas of same or fear and their catharsis of community awareness takes off the red-cheeked bane.

How’s fatherhood? Babyhood? I wrote Kapleau and he sent me his prajnaparamita translation – he chants it English monosyllables one of the Tassajara Senseis or Roshis is a Sanskrit expert, we can check out w/ him on your next trip here. Any plans? OK.

Love, as ever
Allen             

I keep straying on mental anger warpaths, and then come back to milking the goats.