Harold Norse: 'I'm Not a Man'

You'll want to stumble over to the City Lights blog today to read "I'm Not a Man," by one of those great neglectarinos Harold Norse. As the good editors write:

Often categorized as a Beat writer, poet and memoirist Harold Norse created a body of work that used everyday language and images to explore and celebrate both the commonplace and the exotic. His poetry is lyrical and confessional, expressing homoerotic attractions and encounters not as novelty but as lived experience.

It's a doozy of a poem. We'll give you a taste and then let you head over to read the rest, along with a facsimile of a letter by Norse to Jeff Nuttall from 1966.

I’m not a man. I can’t earn a living, buy new things for my

family. I have acne and a small peter

I’m not a man. I don’t like football, boxing and cars.

I like to express my feelings. I even like to put an arm

around my friend’s shoulder.