Peter Fish Highjack's Humor

By Jack Joseph Smith

Peter Fish Highjack's Humor - The flight was nice A shimmering sun” And the-ladies were good on the aisle PeterrFish gazed‘over -the impressions in the«clouds> They had the-fragile support! of “a suburban altar -boys:rendition of Heaven, : while Peter-Fish sipped ‘his scotch as a cherul: in twe: Peter’Fish had just'seen the mod haired silk money christ: walk Lake-Shore Drivecon:the-olive liquid bobs of a thousand martinies: Presently the-Ohicagoe cards:had Peter-Fish menuing out: lear. Béverly Hills tongues: ona Warhol sandwich And shipping the Hollywood Hille sign +o where it belongssin Dallas; Texas: Béred to the brow with thoughtsson the heavy equipmenti biddes PeterrFish'took his mini sound system JZ from:his custom:suit pocket over-his hearts “Listen! People of the planes Attentioné A report: defying Kansas City, Kansas control. A milk white - beauty--queen has-been found praying over: Black Hills Indiamgravessin a language-stranger than Omen Latinsees JessyvJemes4s=real bones shave just been arrested® . in the New York City subways Jeessy'ssbones: were-leading: i arherd of wild horees-to a waterhole at! Fifth and Fortysecond Street, af Jessy'ssskull wasn't ceuimmicating: teocwell, until’a plasticceurgeom wired'inra radio mouth with the-assistance-of an electronicaswizard. Jessy then explained the bulk bagzof scientifically shiny blue pillss i slungzoverr the shoulder~bladés of hid bonessee i Awhile back Jessy's “horses ~had ‘evidently demanded the pills for continual nourishment the day they had} refused! +o assist: Jessy--im-eticking up an Art. Linkletterr tourist buses é Fran: Hollywood! Asked 'why-he wasn't studying film techniques, a Willy-Sutton announced that his sudder resurrectiom had “him -into:dentistry due to the-nitro-glycerin capped teeth fad! 4 spreading::through the-Italiem banking:crowds se ; ; Incidently, the weather bureau in:Boise; Idaho -has- just reported” 2 anrabundance of energy from sea to shinings¢a. ; Establishing -that‘the Atlanticcand the -Pacificcare-massive; : this-discovery must be considered ‘dangerous}* . a (Apprehended ‘for metaphor: at’ the LossAngelees International} # Peter-Fish realized’ that -he-had* overlooked! forcing. thee pilot = to fuel up féreverrforzFact: City; UsSeAs) Wherecthey would not‘ have: a: légz to stand’ om

Original Scan

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AI Interpretation

GPT

A comic hijacking fantasy in which Peter Fish, a scotch-sipping airline passenger, broadcasts a surreal news bulletin about Jesse James's bones in the New York subway, a beauty queen praying over Indian graves, and Willy Sutton's resurrection into dentistry — before being apprehended for metaphor at Los Angeles International.

Claude

Note the source title's own apostrophe, 'Peter Fish Highjack's Humor.' The poem is a mid-flight reverie that curdles into a hijack: Peter Fish sips scotch 'as a cherub,' sees 'the mod haired silk money christ / walk Lake-Shore Drive on the olive liquid bobs of a thousand martinies,' then pulls a 'mini sound system' 'from his custom suit pocket over his heart' and seizes the intercom. What he broadcasts is a manic newscast of American myth recombined - 'Jessy James's real bones' arrested in the subway leading 'wild horses to a waterhole at Fifth and Fortysecond Street,' Willy Sutton resurrected 'into dentistry due to the nitro-glycerin capped teeth fad,' a 'milk white beauty queen' praying over 'Black Hills Indian graves' in 'a language stranger than Omen Latin.' The hinge is the bracketed punchline, '(Apprehended for metaphor at the Los Angeles International),' where the only arrestable crime is making the connections out loud, landing at 'Fact City, U.S.A.' 'Where they would not have a leg to stand on.'