PoemSong
Author / PoetAllen Ginsberg
TagsBurden, Humanity, Love, Solitude

The weight of the world
is love.
Under the burden
of solitude,
under the burden
of dissatisfaction

the weight,
the weight we carry
is love.

Who can deny?
In dreams
it touches
the body,
in thought
constructs
a miracle,
in imagination
anguishes
till born
in human—
looks out of the heart
burning with purity—
for the burden of life
is love,

but we carry the weight
wearily,
and so must rest
in the arms of love
at last,
must rest in the arms
of love.

No rest
without love,
no sleep
without dreams
of love—
be mad or chill
obsessed with angels
or machines,
the final wish
is love
—cannot be bitter,
cannot deny,
cannot withhold
if denied:

the weight is too heavy

—must give
for no return
as thought
is given
in solitude
in all the excellence
of its excess.

The warm bodies
shine together
in the darkness,
the hand moves
to the center
of the flesh,
the skin trembles
in happiness
and the soul comes
joyful to the eye—

yes, yes,
that’s what
I wanted,
I always wanted,
I always wanted,
to return
to the body
where I was born.

Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Region: North America
Period: Contemporary
Movement: Beat Generation
Awards: National Book Award, Robert Frost Medal

more poems by Allen Ginsberg

Poem NameTopic
A DesolaltionCreation, Home, Loneliness
Hum Bom!Bombing, Conflict, Repetition
Wild OrphanImagination, Loneliness, Mythology
Those TwoComplaint, Humor, Nature
Cosmopolitan GreetingsChange, Freedom, Perception
An AsphodelDesire, Dreaming, Nudity
In The Baggage Room At GreyhoundEternity, Loss, Tragedy
When The Light AppearsEmotion, Faith, Growth
September On Jessore RoadDespair, Families, Poverty
The Terms In Which I Think Of RealityChange, Eternity, Perception

all poems by Allen Ginsberg

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *