Valery Oisteanu
Originally published in The Evergreen Review Issue 125 in December, 2010.
I do vividly remember, Tuli
Selling books and cartoons on Spring str.
Tuli getting naked on rooftops
Reading with Tuli, my Soho-boho guru
Tuli, turning poems into revolution songs
Sarcastic-anarchic, pacifist poet on the spot
Full time beatnik, stand-up hobo-bohemian,
Tuli knew how to kiss the radical mind
How to fuck with the rebellious mind
“Teach Yourself Fucking” his latest book
Tuli turned absurd clichés into lotuses
He taught his Russian slippers rhythmical dance
We all crashed with him, that gravitational twirl
Jumping secretly off the Manhattan Bridge
Tuli scribbling and drawing anarchy cartoons
While Fugs were spreading the virus of freedom
For more than half of the century
Tuli singing, Tuli vocalizing, Tuli chanting
Tuli asking questions on cable TV
Tuli writing 53 poetry books
“The world oldest rock star” has gone
Tuli omnipresent in my memory
Tuli has kissed the hippy sky.
