Noir Poets: Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison - The Lords and The New Creatures.jpg

The City. Hive, Web, or severed
insect mound. All citizens heirs
of the same royal parent.

The caged beast, the holy center,
a garden in the midst of the city.

“See Naples & die.”
Jump ship. Rats, sailors
& death.

So many wild pigeons. Animals
ripe w/ new diseases.
“There is only one disease
and I am its catalyst,”
cried doomed pride of the carrier.

Fighting, dancing, gambling,
bars, cinemas thrive
in the avid summer.

From The New Creatures (1970)

3 thoughts on “Noir Poets: Jim Morrison”

  1. Indeed, Tony, indeed. Had Morrison been born in a different era in a different place under different circumstances, he could have been another Chandler, as his sensibilities have always harbored the darker recesses of the form. Of course Morrison took it a step further, and was obsessed with death. But his poetry stands near the top during the rock era.

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  2. Sam, I have just started reading Jim Morrison Life, Death, Legend by Stephen Davis. At a very young age Morrison was exposed to the carnage of an horrific highway accident, and he saw this as a seminal trauma. Also, he was strongly influenced by Nietzche.

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  3. Well Tony, there you have it. The witnessing of that accident and the philosophical withdrawal were obviously critical influences. I’ve never read the Davis volume, but it does sound great!

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