The third Genesis Grasp was released in 1969, which would make both Robert Hell (Richard Meyers) and Tom Verlaine (Tom Miller) between 19 and 20 years old
This excerpt was written by both Richard Hell and Tom Verlaine. It is especially interesting how the two writers take the excerpt from the first line, "Let's talk about love," to the last sentence of the entire piece. These two ideas are so unrelated that is almost laughable.
“Love is ant with a tie on. At first glance this looks whimsical, but love is the self-congratulation of insects. No lie.”
This piece stresses the fact that there are no rules in writing, and that everything in writing is, in fact, done for a reason. The quote above is an instance in the excerpt where the writers remind the reader that they have carefully picked every word, and yet, at the same time, the way that they have written, "At first glance this looks whimsical...," adds a feeling of open revision to the work. All of these elements combined reflect a heavy Ted Berrigan influence. The way that one idea just spirals out of control is very similar to Berrigan's poem, "A Certain Slant of Sunlight."
Hell's First Lyric Writing
Author Daniel Kane related this particular Richard Hell work to James Joyce's story, "Finnegans Wake," because of Hell's use of made up words and twisted grammar. James Joyce is a poet that Hell is known to have enjoyed. Kane credited his comparison to Hells use of, "Letterwesh," "Ratpich," and "wetterflesh." The experimentation with made up words is also seen in the piece above written by Tom Verlaine, and Richard Hell. The two use "eggsly," and mess around by saying "rowledge," and "knewarding."