Poetry, Masturbation, & Jack Straw's Castle
When I first started performing in London a poet I respected greatly read a poem from the book called 'Courage, a Tale'. It's about a boy who is told if he masturbates 100 times he will die. Yes you read that right...if he masturbates 100 times he will die. I loved the poem and when I discovered it was published in 1976 (before I was born) that seemed to make me love it more. I sought out a copy of the book which I discovered was out of print, and found a copy at a second hand book store in St. Albans.
The collection is full of beautiful work by Thom Gunn but 'Courage, a Tale' will always be a favourite, and 'Jack Straw's Castle' will always be one of my favourite books. If you're lucky enough to stumble across a copy, don't hesitate to grab it. Hell, theres not many poems by well respected and established poets about masturbating.
Thom Gunn died in April 2004.