Reality Sandwiches

Reality Sandwiches

Company type	Book
Industry	Publishing
Founded	1963
Founder	Allen Ginsberg
Products	Poetry collection
Parent	City Lights Publishers

File:RealitySandwiches.jpg

First edition

Reality Sandwiches is a poetry collection authored by Allen Ginsberg and released by City Lights Publishers in 1963. The book's title is derived from a poem within the collection, "On Burroughs' Work," which includes the line: "A naked lunch is natural to us,/we eat reality sandwiches." This volume is dedicated to Ginsberg's friend and fellow Beat poet Gregory Corso. Although Ginsberg himself considered this compilation not his most pivotal work, it nonetheless captures him during a highly creative phase of his poetic career.

Included poems are:

• "My Alba"
• "The Green Automobile"
• "Siesta in Xbalba"
• "On Burroughs' Work"
• "Love Poem on Theme by Whitman"
• "Malest Cornifici Tuo Catullo"
• "Dream Record: June 8, 1955"
• "A Strange New Cottage in Berkeley"
• "My Sad Self"
• "I Beg You Come Back & Be Cheerful"
• "To An Old Poet In Peru"
• "Aether"

"On Burroughs' Work"

Legend has it that while Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac were working on editing Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, Kerouac proposed the book's title. When Ginsberg inquired about its meaning, Kerouac replied they would understand it later. The poem can be seen as an exploration of that meaning. This piece stands out among Ginsberg’s poems due to its pronounced use of metaphor, which is atypical for him. This deliberate stylistic choice contrasts with his usual approach, as he ironically dismisses symbolic language and allegory as mere "dressing" or "lettuce." The poem's overall tone suggests a parody of conventional poetic forms, employing allegories and near-rhymes such as "those" with "Rose," "us" with "lettuce," and "visions" with "prisons." Structurally, it resembles an imperfect ballad stanza, where the first and third lines approximate iambic tetrameter and the second and fourth lines approximate iambic trimeter—a classic form used by poets like William Wordsworth. The intentional irregularities in meter imply a purposeful deviation; earlier works by Ginsberg demonstrate his ability to compose strictly metered poetry. This poem may serve both as a tribute to Burroughs and to Ginsberg’s mentor William Carlos Williams, who encouraged him to abandon meter and focus purely on the object without symbolic embellishment.

"Dream Record: June 8, 1955"

This poem recounts a dream involving an apparition of Joan Vollmer, who tragically died after being accidentally shot by her husband, William S. Burroughs, during a drunken attempt at William Tell with a shot glass. Ginsberg had recently visited the couple in Mexico City shortly before the incident. At the poem’s start, he describes returning to Mexico City where he encounters Joan’s spirit. Their conversation touches on mutual acquaintances such as Jack Kerouac, Herbert Huncke, and someone named Kenney. Upon realizing it is a dream and that Joan has passed away, Ginsberg poses deeper questions: "what kind of knowledge have the dead? can you still love your mortal acquaintances? what do you remember of us?" The poem then shifts abruptly to the image of a grave—a paratactical transition that Ginsberg regarded as a significant artistic breakthrough. This moment was crucial in developing what he later termed his "ellipse" technique or the "eyeball kick." His engagement with haiku, the works of Ezra Pound, painter Paul Cézanne, and Surrealist poetry also influenced this innovation, yet Ginsberg frequently identified "Dream Record" as the key turning point. This poem was sent to Kenneth Rexroth, who criticized it for being too constrained and advised Ginsberg to liberate his voice and write more authentically from his emotions. Shortly afterward, Ginsberg composed Howl, which exhibits the influence of this earlier breakthrough, incorporating techniques such as the "eyeball kick" throughout its verses.

"To An Old Poet In Peru"

In 1960, Allen Ginsberg journeyed through South America alongside Lawrence Ferlinghetti. After visiting Chile and Bolivia, he continued solo to Peru around May.Template:Fix/category He spent several weeks camping near Machu Picchu. While in Lima, Ginsberg met the Peruvian poet Martín Adán, who was residing at the Hotel El Comercio, where Ginsberg also secured a room. During this period, he composed several poems featured in Reality Sandwiches, including the extensive "To An Old Poet In Peru," which is divided into three sections: the titular part, "Die Greatly In Thy Solitude," and "The Dazzling Intelligence."Template:Fix/category This poem conveys a deep connection and mutual respect between the two poets. The Peruvian poet Antonio Cisneros translated it into Spanish, and it appeared in issue number 7 of the Amaru magazine in 1968.