Oh, Marcia,
I want your long blonde beauty
to be taught in high school,
so kids will learn that God
lives like music in the skin
and sounds like a sunshine harpsichord.
I want high school report cards
     to look like this:

Playing with Gentle Glass Things
     A

Computer Magic
     A

Writing Letters to Those You Love
     A

Finding out about Fish
     A

Marcia’s Long Blonde Beauty
     A+!

—Richard Brautigan

Rights & Access

From The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster, 1968
Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY

Copyright 1968 by Richard Brautigan.
All rights reserved.

Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company from The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster, 1968. Copyright 1968 by Richard Brautigan. For further permissions information, contact Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10003.

  • Richard Brautigan

    Richard Brautigan (1935-1984) was the author of 10 poetry collections, including Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork (1976).