“poem” broadside #318: King Kong Meets Godzilla, by William Hawkins

From primordial depths, from God knows what muck,

His hideous form slumbered, or was simply stuck.

As me & mine swung from trees, grabbing fruit

Whilst I grew & grew into a hairy brute.

Was it man’s bombs made the sea’s floor break?

& did that cause Godzilla to awake?

As surely as they slotted me into a cage,

Inciting King Kong’s murderous rage.

So now we both monsters must hide

In furtive dank places on earth’s seamy side,

Where waters do flow but are seldom clean,

And a better life comes only when we dream.

King Kong Meets Godzilla

William Hawkins

above/ground press broadside #318

Ottawa poet and songwriter William Hawkins was considered Ottawa’s most dangerous poet from 1964 to 1974, and is one of two inductees into VERSe Ottawa’s first annual Hall of Honour. His Dancing Alone: Selected Poems appeared with Broken Jaw Press in 2005, and a double cd of the same name appeared a year later. Since then, he has released the chapbooks The Black Prince of Bank Street (above/ground press, 2007) and Sweet & Sour Nothings (Apt 9. Press, 2010); the latter was reissued in March, 2013 for Hawkins’ appearance at VERSeFest.