[Realpoetik] RIP Sal Salasin

RealPoetik Magazine realpoetik at scn9.scn.org
Fri Mar 20 09:38:33 PDT 2009


Dear readers of RP, friends, acquaintances and e-friends of Sal, below is a
message from Sal's niece Elisa. Sal has left with Shakespeare and now
unionizes the beyond. Hats off to him. Next week we will resume or regular
programming; today, we give the last word to Sal. Visit
http://realpoetikblog.blogspot.com/ to leave notes for the family.

Your interim editor,

Ana

Dear Friends of Sal Salasin,

I'm writing to let you all know that my uncle Robert, otherwise known as Sal
and Roberto and Uncle Bob, passed away this evening.  He was the fighting
spirit that you all knew and loved until close to the end, not willing to
give in to death unless there were good writers involved.

It was Shakespeare that carried him over.  At one point in the afternoon Sal
asked when Shakespeare would be arriving.  I held his
hand and said that Shakespeare was on his way.  He asked if Shakespeare
would be taking him upstairs.  I said that yes,
Shakespeare was coming to take him upstairs, and once there they’d meet up
with Neruda and Cervantes and Lorca, and they’d talk about poetry together.
 I told him there were lots of un-unionized workers that needed to be
organized, and lots of poets waiting for him in heaven, and that Shakespeare
would be arriving very soon to guide him there.  Sal began repeating,
“Shakespeare is coming...  Shakespeare is coming.  He’s coming soon...”  His
body untensed, and he fell into a quiet sleep.  I sat with him for awhile,
holding my hand over his heart, whispering that Shakespeare would be there
before too long, that we all love him, but that he was free to go.

It was the most peaceful sleep I’d seen in days, so I left him in the care
of his continuous-care nurse, an incredibly gentle & perceptive Pakistani
man named Erfan.  Before I returned Sal’s spirit was gone. He had woken up
briefly, and Erfan held him as his took his last breaths.  Shakespeare
arrived to escort him upstairs.

Sal requested that his ashes be scattered off of the Staten Island Ferry.  I
will be in touch when arrangements are made for this to
happen.  However, in the mean time please know that I read each and every
one of the messages and poems that were sent to him by all of you.  Even in
his final days they never failed to make him smile, and he was truly amazed
every time I'd bring in a new pile.  I believe they brought a measure of
completion to his life that might not otherwise have been possible. Thank
you.

With love,
Elisa Salasin
(and the rest of our family)

elisasalasin at gmail.com
443-562-1656

---

And am pleased to inhabit the earth with this species. Goodbye and God bless
you all. More of the evil work of Denise and her evil twin Denise, bleeding
through my dreams. Man is the only animal that builds jails. He can also eat
peanuts and chew tobacco. Let's go back to the phones where we'll discuss
idempotent transactions in just a moment. Well, yes, I'm sorry I did the
best I could which was obviously inadequate.


Fate and too many painkillers.


Recently I had the pleasure of driving alone in an American car on American
roads listening to American radio from Perth Amboy to Seattle. And this had
its rewards although it didn't do the planet any good.


And if it makes you feel any better, I didn't use my tongue. I'm also
extremely good at removing the lint after each use and believe I should get
some credit for that. "By the light of a thousand suns, I am become death."
I'd sympathize but all in all, I'd rather talk about me. Just get my butt
back safe from the K-Mart and I'm yours forever.

Sal Salasin, July 24, 1995



-- 
RealPoetik
realpoetik.blogspot.com
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