William Sauro
CAPOTE THE WRITER
“Remember, first of all,
that no one in the larger
world cares whether you
write or not. If you want
to write, it is you and you
alone who must create the
space, that will make
writing possible.”
—Paul Russell, author of
THE UNREAL LIFE OF
SERGEY NABOKOV
Which is what Capote did—
in order to survive way Out There
Gawd knows Truman was—
strange & outré enough as it was
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He needed Harper Lee desperately—
to accompany him Out There
Because that’s what it really was—
compared with New York City
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He simply loved & adored NYC—
loved the feel of pavement under
His heels going clickity-click down—
busy classy chic Fifth Avenue
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Major thoroughfare of Manhattan—
Fifth Avenue crossing Midtown
Especially 49th Street to 60th Street—
lined with prestigious shops & resaurtants
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After all, isn’t that where Tiffany’s was—
the "most expensive street in the world"?
Once he’d done that, go figure what—
really matters to a writer like Capote
_________________
Doesn’t it seem strange to you that—
he’d give William Shawn a call right away?
After reading the little article there—
that morning in The New York Times?
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Why would Capote even want to—
go out there to that godforsaken hell?
And be on the Santa Fe Super Chief—
with Harper Lee as soon as possible?
_________________
Was it literary ambition that drove him—
desire for GONE WITH THE WIND fame?
Wanting to be America’s very own Valentin—
Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust?
_________________
Surely smart critics saw thru his façade—
Capote’s whole Non-Fiction Novel fantasy?
Ending up writing about it as if his life—
depended on it (because, in fact, it did)?
