I Remember
Ed Ruscha, "That Was Then This Is Now," 1989. Oil on canvas, 42" x 96".
I remember the first time I got a letter that said “After Five Days Return To” on the envelope, and I thought that after I had kept the letter for five days I was supposed to return it to the sender.
I remember the kick I used to get going through my parents’ drawers looking for rubbers. (Peacock.)
I remember when polio was the worst thing in the world.
I remember pink dress shirts. And bola ties.
I remember when a kid told me that those sour clover-like leaves we used to eat (with little yellow flowers) tasted so sour because dogs peed on them. I remember that didn’t stop me from eating them.
I remember the first drawing I remember doing. It was of a bride with a very long train.
I remember my first cigarette. It was a Kent. Up on a hill. In Tulsa, Oklahoma. With Ron Padgett.
—excerpted from I Remember by Joe Brainard, 1975.
2 Responses to “I Remember”
I really enjoyed reading this. It reminded me of all the things I use to get up to. Especially as a kid
I know you should not live in the past but it is nice to visit it once in a while.
Great post,
David
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[...] Excerpts from I Remember by Joe Brainard, 1975 [...]