Page 23

By Jack Joseph Smith

I tried You were no good to start with; the only reason you ever stood up for yourself, the only reason you were unable to explain, is because of assholes that said, they were better Not reality; truth is changing the diapers, cloth, and never taking them off your shoulders, no matter who calls And with a lawn, seasons never change for kids no matter where you are Violin, abstract oil, ballet; K Mart telecopes O no, did we forget; footballs, with an extra point steel bar between the cedar trees, basketballs, being a Harlem Globetrotter, I can twirl them all on five fingers, raised that is, socker balls, always loved the Irish, and the way they like to kick, baseballs and bats, though those who make money on it tend to beat up older men when they get off work, not talking about myself now, I would need Jeasus badly if I ever was to lose a fight to a bully baseball player; croquet hoops and more balls if one will, the tennis rackets and smaller balls this time, the very pad, well mean bad mitten, with a loss of pool and ping pong due to a working cellar Or how about C,C,D,, catacuism, B.S., Bible studies, or call it like you letter it, or how about, R.F.C., room for sinagod, and sneeak out any way you want

Original Scan

AI Interpretation

GPT

Parenting is measured not by prestige but by diapers, carrying, seasons, toys, sports, art, and study, making care the real answer to social contempt.

The page argues that care is more real than social ranking: diapers, lawns, sports, toys, churches, studies, and games answer the accusation of being no good. Its breathless inventory makes parenting and ordinary play into a defense against contempt.

Claude

'I tried' opens as wounded address - 'You were no good to start with' - blaming 'assholes that said, / they were better,' then redefines reality as care: 'truth is changing the diapers, cloth, / and never taking them off your shoulders, no matter / who calls.' From there it spills into a breathless catalogue of childhood and parenting - 'Violin, abstract oil, ballet; K Mart telecopes,' 'footballs,' 'basketballs, being a / Harlem Globetrotter,' 'socker balls,' 'baseballs and bats,' 'croquet hoops,' 'tennis rackets,' 'bad mitten,' 'pool and ping / pong due to a working cellar.' It ends on Catholic schooling puns - 'C,C,D,, catacuism,' 'R.F.C., room / for sinagod, and sneeak out any way you want' - making the inventory itself the argument that care outweighs contempt. Source spellings 'telecopes,' 'socker,' 'Jeasus,' 'catacuism,' 'sinagod,' and 'sneeak' are preserved.