Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Mugging” was the poem that was highlighted among our readings this week. The way he speaks about the experience he faced was something I wouldn’t expect. He seemed tuned to it and accepting, as if this was meant to happen. In the opening lines of the poem Ginsberg gives great detail of his surroundings that allows you to place yourself in his shoes. You can grasp that he’s walking in an area of familiarity on a humid day of summer noting the images he sees on a daily basis. As he made the transition to describing the actual mugging I had to read this portion a few times to fully understand what happened and see the picture he painted.
The repetition of “Om Ah Hum” related to the significance of his religion, the manner of how he handled the situation he was placed in, and also in communication with the muggers. Throughout the phases of this mugging Ginsberg’s chant is related to the muggers and “gangs of lovers” watching, it’s said as he questions what is about to occur, it’s said for protection, and it’s said to stop the actions of the muggers. “As I rose from the cardboard mattress thinking Om Ah Hum didn’t stop em enough.” I wonder if Ginsberg was attempting to reach out to the muggers as they were doing this detrimental action to him. I also found it interesting that while Ginsberg notes his possessions that were being stripped away he is so calm. The excerpt before the poem notes that mugging was a common experience during this time period and it seems Ginsberg notes this experience as a commonality of being a New Yorker. It’s also interesting how he expresses the manner in which his poetry was left behind. “My shoulder bag with 10,000 dollars full of poetry left on the broken floor.” With this sentence Ginsberg demonstrates the value of poetry, writing, and expression while simultaneously showing this absence to the muggers.
The conclusion of the poem where he details his going on with his day and his attempt at alerting of his situation shows how it was observed as usual, nothing out of the ordinary. He describes the police as idiots who were numb to the situation with “Fill out this form”. This kind of reminded me of what we hear today with police not taking full actions to what happens. For example calling the cops and not getting a response for hours where by the time they arrive the situation has faded. This poem sheds light on the realities that occurred during this period while questions how and why they occur.
