I have loved the writing of Richard Brautigan since being introduced to him by Jon Nicolas, a friend of mine from my college days at Eastern Kentucky University in the early 80s.  Jon came to my dorm room one night in 1981 bearing Brautigan’s classic novel In Watermelon Sugar, and from the opening lines of the book, I was hooked.

"In watermelon sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar."

And yes, I am also weird . . . at least a little bit.

From that night on Jon and I took turns reading to each other from In Watermelon Sugar and then from Brautigan’s collection of short stories called Trout Fishing in America.  What I liked about Brautigan’s writing was how spare it was.  It had little or no pretension and was often simultaneously filled with wit and a certain sense of despair – much like yours truly.  I have all of Brautigan’s published books, with the exception of the very rare and out of print early works.  Brautigan’s poetry is always very short and to the point, as seen in the following three "love" poems.

Hinged To Forgetfulness Like A Door

Hinged to forgetfulness
like a door,
she slowly closed out of
sight,
and she was the woman I loved,
but too many times she slept like
a mechanical deer in my caresses,
and I ached in the metal silence
of her dreams.

Richard Brautigan

Love Poem

It’s so nice
to wake up in the morning
all alone
and not have to tell somebody
you love them
when you don’t love them
any more.

Richard Brautigan

Romeo and Juliet

If you will die for me,
I will die for you
and our graves will be like two lovers washing
their clothes together
in a laundromat
If you will bring the soap
I will bring the bleach.

Richard Brautigan

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