Poem 53

       I chose to write a response to Ted Berrigan's poem 53.  From what I have read, I don't really enjoy Berrigan's work.  The thoughts seem to bounce around the page and run rampant, switching direction and changing tempo every other line.  Spacing of words and sentences were a bit of a put off as well.  I couldn't tell if there was a concrete purpose to the individual spacing or if it was for simple aesthetic appeal.
     
       I think that because of this, I found looking into poem 53 all the more entertaining.  I enjoyed breaking it down line by line, attempting to find the meaning behind it all.  From what I could gather, it was about young 'love'.  He often hinted at sex and the consequences of careless teen flings.  The line that stood out the most to me would have to be "O' wet kisses, the poem upon the page can tell you about teeth you've never dreamed could bite, nor be such reassurance".  It sounds as if it were almost advice from past experiences.  He has dealt with unplanned pregnancies and the burden it can bring on teenage parents.  The consequences of sex being the "teeth you've never dreamed could bite".

       Perhaps this could be taken as a forewarning.  The last line itself is "Who can say no to it later?"  Though  Berrigan just told the reader of the possible unplanned outcomes sex and young love, he acknowledges that no one will deny it later.  Humans will resort back to their basic instincts and needs, and the sex will continue.    Watch what you do, it could come back to bite you in the future.