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(♪♪♪)

(WATER SPLASHES)

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

(♪♪♪)

♪ You don't have to go too far before you're stuck ♪

♪ Inside a jar with no clothes ♪

♪ You don't have to go too far before you're stuck ♪

♪ Inside a jar with no clothes ♪

♪ Screaming, screaming on my shelf ♪

♪ You have to keep it to yourself ♪

♪ Screaming, screaming on my shelf ♪

♪ You have to keep it to yourself ♪

♪ Why resist you, why not fist you, throw your fit ♪

♪ See who cares ♪

♪ Why resist you, why not fist you, throw your fit ♪

♪ See who cares ♪

(TYPEWRITERS KEYS CLINKING IN BACKGROUND)

(♪♪♪)

(CARS HONKING HORNS)

(TRAFFIC MOVING)

(♪♪♪)

(DOOR SHUTS)

(KEYS JANGLING)

(♪♪♪)

(FLICKS SWITCH)

(TYPEWRITERS KEYS CLINKING IN BACKGROUND)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER, LAUGHTER IN BACKGROUND)

(TRAFFIC MOVING)

(KEYS JANGLING)

Pauly, you're gonna freeze put here.

I like the cold. Did you see that kid?

ED: What kid?

He's been waiting for you, like a prom date.

Can I help you?

You're Ed Saxberger.

What is this about?

My name is Wilson Meyers. Meyers, everyone calls me.

Okay.

I apologize for showing up like this, but I discovered

that you lived here in my neighborhood.

Okay. And?

I read Way Past Go.

You are the Ed Saxberger, right? The poet?

Of course you are.

I recognize you from the back cover.

You read Way Past Go ? That's crazy.

Where'd you find a copy?

I bought it at Foyles on Charing Cross Road,

and then I read it at a pub in Covent Garden

straight through.

It's brilliant. We all think so.

My whole group.

Your group?

We're, um, an artistic community of poets and artists,

essayists, intellectuals.

It sounds pretentious, I know, but--

Uh, is this some kinda joke? Did Pauly put you up to it?

MEYERS: I'm dead serious.

I don't know when you last read the book yourself,

but it's as if the poems were written yesterday.

They're modern, they're moving, they're scathing, they're--

They-- they just slap you across the face with their style

and their relevancy.

They're timeless.

Bravo! Well, that was a long time ago.

October 1979.

You were younger than I am now when you wrote it.

That's very impressive.

I don't want to be presumptuous in any way,

but could we take you out to dinner sometime?

My friends and I, as an act of...

I don't know, uh,

inspirationally motivated gratitude.

Oh, inspirationally motivated.

I'm-- I'm not speaking coherently,

but I completely understand.

I-- (CHUCKLES)

What I mean to say is, my friends and I...

Um, dinner with us.

You have much more important matters to attend to.

I've taken up enough of your time already.

-I'm sorry. -It's okay.

Stopped writing poetry?

Years ago.

I work at the post office for years now, so...

A man of letters.

I guess you could say that.

Well, you wrote a masterpiece, whether people know about it

or not.

And nothing can alter that. That's forever.

Thank you. That's nice to hear.

What can I tell my friends?

Uh, tell them I'm very touched,

and I don't know, uh,

give them my best regards.

We're always at Any Old Place on LaGuardia...

...if it ever feels enticing.

Okay, maybe sometime.

MEYERS: Okay. Fantastic.

(FOOTSTEPS)

PAULY: So?

So what?

PAULY: I wish I had a secret admirer.

Eat your heart out.

(CHUCKLES)

♪ Now look at the trouble that I'm in ♪

♪ You know, you'd better ♪

♪ Watch out for Charley's girl ♪

♪ Watch out for Charley's girl ♪

Oh, so close.

♪ Watch out for Charley's girl ♪

(CHUCKLES)

(DOOR OPENS, SHUTS)

MARIE: Late for you.

Yeah, you know.

I got your number seven already.

Oh, good. Thanks.

-Hey. -Hey.

-ARNOLD: What's new? -Oh, nothing.

I just took Mikey for 40 bucks tonight.

He won't quit.

Now you can retire.

ARNOLD: Rack 'em up.

ED: Hey, Mikey.

ARNOLD: Hey, brother. How you doin'?

(PHONE VIBRATING)

(FLICKS SWITCH)

ED'S SISTER: (ON VOICEMAIL) Hi, we're back

in the hospital again.

It's almost midnight.

Um, it seems like things have really taken a turn

this time.

He was asking about you before.

He-- he thinks that you're here, or that you're coming.

I don't know.

Doctor's coming out now. I gotta go.

Uh, you really need to call me back, okay?

He's your brother too.

Alright, bye.

(FLICKS SWITCH)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER IN BACKGROUND)

(♪♪♪)

MEYERS: Saxberger!

Just my luck.

Where are you headed this evening?

Uh, I'm out for a walk.

May I join you?

Yeah, sure.

How's your weekend?

Good. You?

I'm sure I sound overeager, and that's embarrassing,

but the truth is I've been feeling very inspired

-since we spoke. -Yeah?

And it's had a really energetic effect on our group.

I've even started writing a new poem, an epic

about Alexander the Great and the Oracle of the Amun-Ra,

of all things.

-There you go. -Sounds ridiculous,

but it occurred to me

that evening after we met, and it just seems to be able

to contain all the things that I've been thinking about.

You know, divinity, this impossible journey,

you know, mortality, immortality.

I haven't finished it, of course.

I'm just gonna kinda let it be, wait for it to kinda

ferment in my mind like a fine must.

Yeah.

I-- I head this way.

Would you ever consider reading my work?

I don't know.

It would be such an honor.

Sorry if I overstepped, overeager.

No, I'm happy to look at it. But don't expect much.

Oh, my God, really? Thank you, Saxberger.

Call me Ed.

In our group, we call everyone by their last names.

Sort of a thing we decided on.

Where are you from?

Why do you ask?

Mm, just curious.

You have a very formal way of talking.

I find there's too much umming and like, sorta,

you know, in the world.

-You know? -Sorta.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

-You know. -Yeah.

I was just about to meet up with my friends, the group.

-Mm-hmm. -Would you like to join me?

Oh, yeah. It-- it's getting kinda late.

I understand, it's just...

(LAUGHS)

You have no idea how much talk there's been about you

at our table.

(BIRDS FLAPPING WINGS)

(DOOR CREAKS OPEN)

(DOOR SHUTS)

I know this place.

But it used to be called something else.

(FOOTSTEPS)

Here they are.

This is Carmichael, playwright.

ED: Hi.

This is Scherfey, a kind of, um, experimental writer.

-Brussard, who's a critic. -Essayist.

-Yes, essayist. -Hello.

-And this is Winn, who writes... -Uh, everything.

(CHUCKLES)

-Everything? -Yeah.

It's nice meeting you fellas.

You too.

This is Saxberger.

-CARMICHAEL: Oh! -Oh, my God, Saxberger.

Okay.

WINN: What an honor to meet you.

Hello.

-Sherfey. -ED: How's it going?

-Nice to meet you. -ED: Great.

(INDISTINCT)

Listen, I-- I'm-- I'm really touched by your interest.

Yeah, you, uh, you work in, uh, the post office, right?

-ED: Yeah. -The, like, Bukowski?

I guess.

It's, uh, pretty astonishing you've been lost

for so many years.

Sorry. My-- my mom's gonna pick me up soon.

I just wanted to ask you if you could sum up your, like--

Your, like, career touchstones, and what that would amount to.

You know, I'm-- I don't know how to do that.

Who would you say your contemporaries were?

Who was a-- a part of your circle?

Well, I didn't really have a circle, per se.

I mean, I knew some of the older guys, like, um...

...Robert Creeley.

-You know him, right? -Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

And, uh...

(EXHALES)

Fuck, uh...

Uh, who else? Amiri Baraka.

-BRUSSARD: Hmm. -ED: Uh, Ed Dorn.

-Nice. -I met Burroughs a few times.

(LAUGHING)

So iconic.

It must just be so satisfying to have published poetry

like yours.

Satisfying?

In the sense of being, like, sticking to your own...

...authenticity.

Unlike those bullshit poseurs over there.

-BRUSSARD: Hmm. -ED: Who are they?

BRUSSARD: Fucking influencers.

You got your standard influencers,

a cultural critic, which is really just another

way of saying influencer.

You have your experiential creator,

which is who the fuck knows.

MEYERS: Mm-hmm.

BRUSSARD: And somebody's girlfriend

who's really just an aspiring influencer,

if such a thing can even be imagined.

To our knowledge, they don't talk.

They only communicate through sociopath media.

-They're addicts. -Heroin?

No, uh, phone.

-(PHONE VIBRATES) -We reject technology,

-as much as we can. -WINN: Sorry.

You know, we've all seen firsthand the way that it--

It rots the brain.

You won't get an argument from me.

At least people know who they are.

Well, no one with any real depth knows who they are.

Saxberger doesn't know who they are.

Still people know them more than they know us.

ED: Do you have a name for your group?

I guess bullshit poseurs is already taken.

(LAUGHING TOGETHER)

The Enthusiasm Society.

What do you think?

Not bad. Uh, sounds Victorian.

(LAUGHING TOGETHER)

Catchy (INDISTINCT SPEECH) tongue-in-cheek.

It's got it all.

It says we're standing up against negativity,

vulgarization, the monetization of everything,

the coarsening of culture, you know?

I'm glad someone's doing it.

MEYERS: We need to find a new way

of getting ourselves out there.

We need to find a way of announcing ourselves

to the world.

That's what we've been talking about.

Well, uh, people, you know, used to do readings.

I-- I guess they still do.

Just rent a space and invite people.

-MEYERS: A reading? -Yeah.

I mean, you know, a-- a kind of formal introduction

-to our work-- -ED: Sure.

And our collective point of view, uh--

How do we distinguish it from all the other bullshit?

It's gotta be rooted in something real.

We have to bring literature back to the people.

Think of it as-- as-- a-- as a kind of a-- a--

a sincerely ironic throwback.

We do it in a place where it would've been done back

in Saxberger's day.

We ban phones.

We hire a real photographer to document it

with a film camera.

We pass around a hat.

-CARMICHAEL: Yeah. -MEYERS: Ask for donations.

All right.

MEYERS: What do you think, Saxberger?

Sounds good.

-Okay. -WINN: Okay.

The essay you were writing, and that piece you sent me.

The one that I just read.

BRUSSARD: Uh, I changed it. I-- I-- it's a monologue.

MEYERS: We can show people these things.

MEYERS: So, a weird question.

How did you like hanging out with us?

ED: I don't know.

MEYERS: Sorry, awkward question.

Uh, I liked it very much.

What do you think of our group?

What do you mean?

I mean, do you think we seem impressive?

Oh, sure. Yeah.

There are some key figures missing tonight.

You'll have to meet them, too, especially Gloria.

I wondered if there were some girls in your group.

Oh, yes. She's an actress.

Truly larger than life.

She's older than us, but yeah.

When you meet her, you'll-- you'll see what I mean.

Thank you very much. It was fun.

Saxberger, I've been trying to work up the courage

to ask you this since we left.

Would you ever consider allowing us to use something

of yours in the event?

Mine?

You don't need that.

You have your own work.

Not like yours.

Okay. I'll fix something out.

Thank you so, so much, Saxberger.

Hey. Okay, okay, all right. Uh, good night.

-Good night. -Good night, yeah.

-Thank you. -(SIREN WAILING)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(PAPERS RUSTLING)

(LAUGHS)

(TYPEWRITER KEYS CLINKING IN BACKGROUND)

(TRAFFIC MOVING)

(DOOR SHUTS)

(KEYS JANGLING)

(♪♪♪)

-Hey, Saxberger. -SHERFEY: Hey!

Saxberger!

What a pleasure to see you again.

ED: Thanks.

I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop by.

-Make some room for Saxberger. -ED: Thanks.

We're just, uh, going over the structure of our event.

Should it be called, uh, What We Want, or What It Is?

-WINN: Mm-hmm. -MEYERS: Perfect.

What about you, Saxberger?

I still have to see what there is.

I had a thought. Please, hear me out.

What about something new?

Just imagine how exciting it would be for the audience

if you were to write something new.

But, uh, uh, nobody knows my work.

It-- it's all new to them.

You know, I haven't written poetry in...

I don't even remember it's been that long.

All the better.

I had my moment it ended. So, now it's your time.

This will be your new moment. The return.

Look, the people out there, they don't understand anything.

They just consume what's given to them.

That's why you're one of us.

Just consider it.

-Please. -My boys.

GROUP (TOGETHER): Oh, Gloria!

MEYERS: There she is.

How's it going, kids? Oh, I've missed you.

MEYERS: This is Saxberger.

-Hello. -Hello, there.

Gloria Gardener.

ED: Pleasure.

(GLORIA CHUCKLES)

So, are you an artist, too?

MEYERS: Gloria, this is Saxberger.

Hmm.

Who wrote Way Past Go.

Oh.

Of course, this is exactly how you would look.

(LAUGHS)

It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Saxberger.

Thank you.

Saxberger here has agreed to take part in our recital.

-BRUSSARD: Reading. -GLORIA: I just got chills.

-Well, um... -What are you drinking?

You decide, darling.

Just help the man out. Do you want a sloe gin fizz?

Do you want a chai latte?

For the love of God, not a chai latte.

How about an absinthe? Yes, an absinthe!

I'll have a black coffee, thanks.

So, how's the play going, Gloria?

Ugh. There's never enough financing.

One of our key castmates

just dropped out to do an episode

of some police procedural on network television.

SHERFEY: What? Ugh! Ugh.

-It's obscene! -BRUSSARD: Ugh!

Threw up in my mouth.

I promise I'll let you kids know

when we're back on our feet.

Well, I'll be on pins and needles.

Anyway, I want to hear more about your reading.

Actually, it's an event. Right?

Well, Saxberger's giving some serious thought

to writing something new.

Thinking about it.

And?

Uh, well...

Sure, why not?

GROUP MEMBERS (TOGETHER): Yay.

MEYERS: Saxberger.

Can I perform it?

Unless you were planning on reading it yourself.

I, uh, I haven't even started. There's not even a word yet.

If I don't do your poem at this reading/recital/whatever,

I will die.

Well, in that case, my dear, you can read it.

GLORIA: Oh. Wonderful.

SHERFEY: This is gonna be great, I think.

Let's go get some dinner. We've got a lot to discuss.

You'll come with us, right, Saxberger?

-Yep. -Yeah.

-Saxberger. -Oh, thanks.

(♪♪♪)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

MEYERS: Or sit at the opposite side of the table.

That's fine, too.

GLORIA: Is it (OVERLAPPING SPEECH)

No matter what you do, don't eat anything down here.

-Only there, there, there-- -Why not?

...and on the back.

So did you know Ginsberg?

No. By the time I got to city, he was pretty cranky.

I-- I did go to a few of his readings and a friend

of mine used to hang out with him.

I knew Jimmy Schuyler pretty well.

Hmm.

Poor Jimmy.

Yeah.

-Sweetheart. -Yeah.

Next time someone asks you a question like that, you say,

"Sure, I knew 'em all."

Oh, okay, okay.

I thought I would mark this occasion by reviving

an old practice, the toast.

So...

...we spend a lot of our time as a-- aspiring

practicing artists looking up to the icons of the past,

standing in their long and formidable shadows...

...the old masters who held art on their backs,

despite all of the adversities they might have faced

and regardless of whether they received praise or silence.

One of these noble men, criminally overlooked

and undervalued, is with us here today.

We salute you, Ed Saxberger, for all that you have done

and everything that you have yet to do.

-To Saxberger. -CARMICHAEL: Saxberger.

-SHERFEY: Cheers. Cheers. -GLORIA: Yeah.

(GLASSES CLINKING)

-BRUSSARD: Saxberger. -MEYERS: Cheers.

(CHUCKLES)

You know, it's-- it's customary to answer one

toast with another toast.

I don't think I've spoken to a group this big

since my boss retired.

(CHUCKLING TOGETHER)

You know...

...it strikes me how young all of you are

and how very impressive.

I used to be the youngest one in every group,

and then one day, I became the oldest.

Whatever I have contributed...

I'm very touched.

So, to you preservers of the national

artistic inheritance

from the great tradition of Whitman, Pound, and Williams...

...it is to you, gentlemen, and to you, Gloria,

that I raise my glass.

Cheers.

GROUP MEMBERS (TOGETHER): Cheers.

-MEYERS: To Saxberger. -GLORIA: Saxberger.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

No, no, no, no. Absolutely not.

Now, listen, I-- Listen.

-MEYERS: We insist. -ED: No, let me do something.

-No, no, no, Ed, please. -No, hey.

We insist.

-ED: You sure? -Yes.

ED: Well, that's very kind. Thank you, guys.

Thanks.

No, this is me.

This is me.

-GLORIA: Ah. -All right.

(CHUCKLES)

Okay.

Good night.

GROUP: (TOGETHER) Hey!

Saxberger! Saxberger!

Good night, guys!

GROUP: (TOGETHER) ♪ Good night, Saxberger ♪

GLORIA: (INDISTINCT SPEECH)

Good night.

-GLORIA: Good night! -SHERFEY: Bye-bye!

GLORIA: Good night!

Ah!

(♪♪♪)

(INDISTINCT LYRICS IN BACKGROUND)

Hey.

Uh, what do most people smoke nowadays.

Which people?

Uh, young people, like kids that go to NYU.

And one of these lighters.

(BEEPING)

That'll be $18.72.

-You're kidding. -Nope.

Thanks.

(DOOR OPENS)

LORINE NIEDECKER: (ON TAPE) Tell 'em to take

my bare walls down.

My cement abutments.

Their parties thereof and claws of claws.

Leave me the land. Scratch out the land.

May prose and property both die out, and leave me peace.

WILLIAM CARLOS: (ON TAPE) The descent beckons

as the ascent beckoned.

Memory is a kind of accomplishment,

a sort of renewal.

Even an initiation since the space that it opens

are new place--

-(HONKING HORN) -(SIREN WAILING)

HILDA DOOLITTLE: (ON TAPE) Are you brother?

Are you alive? Are you dead?

The harpers will sing forever

of how Achilles met Helen among the shades.

(PHONE VIBRATES)

HILDA DOOLITTLE: (ON TAPE) But we were not.

We are now shadows as we walk--

MEYERS: (ON VOICEMAIL) Saxberger, it's Meyers.

Uh, look, I have a couple things I wanna show you.

Can you drop by my place?

I'm stuck here while I wait for the plumber to come

and fix my sink.

Uh, I'm on Sullivan.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

MEYERS: It's unlocked! I'll be right out.

(DOOR SHUTS)

I'm glad it's you.

I'm still waiting for the plumber.

It's kind of ostentatious, I know.

It's a bit sickening, I guess.

Hmm, not really.

I mean, for a poet.

Well, Stevens was a poet, but he was a big executive

at an insurance company.

Huh.

Eliot worked in a bank. So...

My parents bought it as an investment

when I started at NYU.

Ultimately, it's cheaper than the dorms.

Oh, okay. So, you're done with school?

Yeah, I finished up my MA a little bit ago.

Uh, poetry, NYU?

Gallatin. I created my own major.

Virtues of style, rhetoric and voice,

but poetry was the main component,

as you might imagine.

Sure.

First edition.

Ah.

Oh.

Wow.

(MEYERS CHUCKLE)

Uh, c-- can I keep this?

-Sure. -(LIGHTER CLICKS)

I debated a long time over the font, the card stock.

Details like that really matter.

In 20 years, no one will have any physical memories.

That's right.

I've experienced firsthand the way the technology rots

the brain, and I want no part of it.

Yeah, you mentioned that.

Uh, the others, did they all go to NYU?

Carmichael went to ETW for playwriting.

But, uh, Sherfey went to Parsons,

which is just an expensive daycare, dropped out.

Winn is homeschooled, although he does seem

to raise his hand a lot.

Fernandez went to RISD.

For some reason, he's taken a vow of silence.

Brussard...

(SIGHS)

If I'm not mistaken, his family owns

every last soybean in the State of Missouri.

He's got a penthouse over on Ludlow.

I heard his father gave him a lump sum to keep him out

of St. Louis forever.

At any rate, uh, the group is pretty motley.

Always in flux.

How about Gloria?

You seem particularly interested in Gloria.

ED: No.

Uh, you just mentioned everyone else.

Gloria's background is bit of a mystery.

She likes it that way.

We don't care about what schools people went to,

or who their father is.

I mean, reverence for art is what binds us together.

The rest is just...

...background noise, the-- the delusional trimmings

of late-stage capitalism.

Not to be so "ooh, capitalism",

but it's true.

We're radical.

But ultimately, our contribution to society

and our religion is our art.

Not that we're apolitical.

I mean, that's important, of course.

But what about you? Where did you go to school?

I dropped out of high school, actually.

-I love that. -Yeah, well, I don't know.

I moved to the city in '77.

I'm picturing you with just, like, a duffel,

$11 in your pocket

(CHUCKLES)

No. It wasn't at all like that.

I just had ants in my pants and wanted to get to Mecca.

How did you know that you were a poet?

I didn't. I just started writing.

There was a lot of poetry in the air at the time.

Hmm.

I was always going to readings, doing readings myself.

I was, like, part of a community.

You know, kinda like yours.

Yeah, I see that.

Oh, I wanted to mention to you, I spoke to my family friend

about you.

He's an agent at Knoll. He'd like to meet.

Me? Meet me?

MEYERS: Yes.

Uh, what about?

About you.

(CHUCKLES)

He hip-pockets me as a favor, lets me, uh, put his name

in the corner when I submit to periodicals,

but he's got a lot of great writers.

Poets, novelists.

Uh, which poets?

He's a good man and he loves writers.

So may I tell him yes?

Um, sure, why not? I mean, you never know, right?

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

I should get going.

How about our poem? How's it coming along?

Ah, it's good. It's early.

It's a work in progress.

What is your process? Sorry, presumptuous question.

Well, you know, I walk around and see stuff.

I don't know, it's been so long.

Uh, do I have a process? I don't think so.

When do you suppose it'll be finished?

I don't know.

I like to let things settle before I commit to anything.

Interesting choice of words.

Well, this was fun.

(CHUCKLES)

Let me know when you've got something on paper.

Oh, okay.

Ed, uh, Saxberger...

...you should write your memoirs.

Thanks for having me over.

(DOOR OPENS, SHUTS)

MEYERS: Alexa, volume up 50%.

(LAUGHS)

Hey, how's it going?

ARNOLD: Hey, you made it!

Look at this guy.

Hey, what's with the scarf?

It's a scarf.

(LAUGHS)

ARNOLD: You got me a present?

Yeah, it's your birthday, isn't it?

Oh, yeah. That's real nice.

Yeah.

I mean, that-- that-- that's just real nice.

Real nice, man.

I got it.

-Hey, Marie? -MARIE: Yeah.

Give this man a drink, and I'll take my ginger ale.

You got it.

You're not even gonna have one on my birthday?

Six years tells me no, but I love you anyway.

Uh, nice shot, nice shot.

ED: I don't know, he's kind of a leader.

He's pretentious, like, uh, something out of

an Edith Wharton novel.

Like a dandy. Fancy, you know, refined.

Like a rich kid?

No like those ones that you used to see

that dressed like they were poor.

He has heirs. Plus, he's not such a kid.

Must be nice.

ED AND CLUB PATRONS: (TOGETHER) ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday, dear Arnold ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

(APPLAUSE, CHEERING)

Wooh!

Hey, you don't have to open it now.

This isn't a bridal shower.

Come on, what are you talking about?

Way Past Go by Ed Saxberger?

I bet the pages are all blank inside.

Uh, I didn't need a reason.

Uh, oh, okay, okay. Forget it.

-I didn't need-- -Forget it, forget it.

Hey, hey, hey. That's my present, man.

You can't just take back a person's present.

IRV: What is it?

Hey, it's a book of poems that I wrote when I was a kid.

(CHUCKLES)

-Bullshit. -No, no, I-- I wrote it in 1979.

Look, tha-- that's me.

-ARNOLD: Oh. -Oh, wooh, pretty boy.

-(LAUGHS) -Oh, forget it.

Okay, I-- I wrote a poem for Arnold, too.

-You wanna hear it? -IRV: Yes.

LEONARD: All right.

There once--

(IRV CHUCKLES)

ED: Oh, boy.

There once was a man from Bay Ridge.

He drank to forget his marriage.

His wife was named Lisa.

ARNOLD: Yeah.

LEONARD: She knew how to tease ya.

ARNOLD: Oh, she does.

For her tits were too nice to disparage.

Boo!

You're a dead man.

Ed, read your poems.

-Come on, Ed. -For you guys?

It'll be lost on you.

-ARNOLD: Come on! -CLUB PATRON: Come on.

ARNOLD: Yeah, do something.

CLUB PATRON: Do something from, uh, Don't Pass Go.

(LAUGHING)

Read it. Come on.

What, you think we're too lowbrow?

Yeah, I do.

Excuse me?

Yeah, I do think you're too lowbrow.

What the fuck, Ed?

ARNOLD: Hey, come on, cool down.

You think you're some kind of fucking intellectual

because you wrote some poems 50 years ago?

You have no idea.

CLUB PATRON: About what?

Who you talking to.

Here. Hang-- hang on to this.

It's a first edition.

Hey, c-- hey, where you going? Come on, Ed.

Oh, man. Jesus.

There once was a man named Saxberger.

(LEONARD CHUCKLING)

(TRAFFIC MOVING)

(FLICKS SWITCH)

(WHIRRING)

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) You know, Susan's very organized,

so at least that's off my shoulders.

But, uh, it's getting to the point where I'm really

gonna need some extra help here.

Well, let's see how it goes.

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) Yeah, let's see how it goes.

Didn't hear that one before.

Listen...

...I should go now.

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) He asked about you again.

Right.

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) I know you don't wanna deal with this.

But all that stuff that happened

that was a long time ago now.

Listen, he's not gonna get better.

You don't want this weighing on you.

I know, I know.

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) Family's the most important

thing there is in this life.

Who says?

(ED'S SISTER SIGHS)

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) Okay. Great.

Now you're getting me upset.

-I'm gonna go now. -Okay.

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) And when I call you,

how about call me back for once?

Okay.

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) Okay?

Goodbye.

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) Goodbye.

(MUNCHES)

♪ Dimmi quando tu verrai ♪

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

♪ Dimmi quando, quando, quando ♪

♪ L'anno, il giorno e l'ora in cui ♪

MEYERS: (INDISTINCT SPEECH)

remain somewhat of a the mystery to the--

Saxberger. Saxberger.

ED: I went to the coffee shop. They said you'd be here.

-BRUSSARD: You gotta see this. -MEYERS: Take a seat.

Look, look, look.

-What are we celebrating? -MEYERS: Here, here.

We don't recommend just anything.

ED: Hmm.

MEYERS: These aren't just a bunch of influencers.

I mean, these are real taste makers.

Nice, nice.

To make it simple, you know, bare bones.

-Yeah. -Bare bones, one light.

We don't need anything else.

CARMICHAEL: What about music?

Going in and out.

What, like a cute little playlist?

Who the fuck do you think we are?

Fuck off, Brussard.

(LAUGHS)

Saxberger.

You know, Gloria is with Carmichael now.

Okay.

I just-- I thought you should know.

Why?

Well, I see what she's doing with you.

She did it to me, too.

CARMICHAEL: Look, right there.

MEYERS: Yo, Brussard,

I wanna talk to you about something.

CARMICHAEL: I was thinking about it

and I do actually think--

Excuse me, be right back.

CARMICHAEL: --that music could be good.

Just a short playlist or something like...

MEYERS: Okay, we're not gonna have...

SHERFEY: Gloria agrees, actually.

-BRUSSARD: I'm sure she does. -SHERFEY: But we can't have any-

BRUSSARD: She probably wants to sing it.

SHERFEY: We can't have any...

-Hello. -Hello again.

I know what he was just whispering to you,

that that young man over there is my lover.

ED: Yep.

Brussard came on to me once, well, a few times a little bit.

But once, he really came on to me and I pushed him down

the stairs of my apartment building.

ED: That's terrible.

I can't stand how jealous and petty he is.

It's just because he can tell that I like you,

and it drives him crazy.

-MEYERS: ...magic show. -CARMICHAEL:I'm not saying that!

I have a very high tolerance for despicable men.

BRUSSARD: No. You're just gonna be trying to, like,

set off firecrackers on stage. This is ridiculous.

CARMICHAEL: That's the exact opposite

of what I'm trying to say.

BRUSSARD: We just need to be simple.

No one's gonna take us seriously.

(OVERLAPPING CONVERSATION)

BRUSSARD: ...simple, okay?

(DOOR SHUTS)

(KEYS CLATTER)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

(♪♪♪)

Okay.

Okay. Bye.

Sorry.

I apologize in advance.

We just moved in here and obviously

have not renovated, so...

An office is an office, right?

(CHUCKLES)

That's funny.

Seriously, thank you for meeting with me.

Hey, it's, uh, an honor and a pleasure.

So, why don't you tell me about yourself?

What do you want to know?

You haven't had one of these meetings before,

I'm assuming.

You could tell.

(LAUGHS)

Well, we're just getting to know each other.

-Right. -Okay?

To see if we'd like to work together.

-Okay. -Okay.

Yeah.

Uh, I was born in Western Pennsylvania

and I've been here in the city since I was 17.

Jewish?

Uh, by name, but my father wasn't observant.

My mother's family was mainly German.

Uh, we were raised Catholic.

Mm-hmm. And what did they do?

Uh, he worked in a mill.

Uh, it was a brewery, paper mill town.

She was a homemaker.

That's the real America.

How do you know Meyers?

Wilson, you mean?

Right, right.

Our families go way back.

My father founded a law firm where his father is now

a senior partner and, uh, probably take the reins one day.

Um, I grew up in Mamaroneck. My sister babysat him.

You know, all the typical suburban, uh...

...uninteresting stuff.

So, uh, enough about me.

Why don't I tell you a little bit

about what we do around here?

-Okay. -Okay?

We have no mandate.

We are passion driven, and we represent unique,

voices and then we help them get to where they wanna go.

Um, I have poets, I have content creators

and sports figures and authors, and cookbook writers,

uh, who's actually killing it, by the way.

What kind of cookbook?

Uh, pies. It's just pies.

(LAUGHS)

So my tastes are-- are pretty eclectic,

as you can probably tell.

And I'm indicative of that.

Exactly.

And you work at the post office now, Meyers tells me.

37 years.

That is so amazing.

(CHUCKLES)

Wow.

So Meyers gave you a copy of Way Past Go?

Yes. Yeah, it's just amazing work.

It's so impactful. Really.

Yeah.

And you're thinking of reissuing my work, I'm assuming?

Um, eventually.

Maybe, yeah, once the memoir's finished.

-Memoir? -How far into it are you?

I haven't even given it a thought.

Well, we can make it painless for you, if you like.

We'd, uh, we'd set you up with somebody, and you just

tell the stories and enjoy some catered lunches,

and then they-- they put it together.

Look, to be honest, the memoir was Meyers' idea,

not mine.

Oh.

Look, we use the term discovery around here a lot,

but you, sir, are not a discovery.

You are something much better and much rarer.

You are a rediscovery.

I'm a rediscovery? I didn't know.

Yeah. And, uh, and that's precious.

What do you think?

Could I have some time to think about it?

I totally understand. You take all the time you need.

I have got a Zoom, so...

(FOOTSTEPS)

PAULY: Ed.

Did you see some students moved into 1F?

They look about 11.

No, I didn't.

You like to bake?

Uh, not really.

Sure you do.

(FOOTSTEPS)

(♪♪♪)

Hi.

I wanted to see your place.

Okay.

Uh, let me help you.

Welcome.

That's a very elegant coat.

Oh, thank you. It was a gift.

So here is where he writes.

Uh, not yet.

But you did write, and you will again.

I don't know.

You think that now, but you don't know

how the fame will affect you.

ED: Fame?

Yeah. Fame.

Uh, don't put the cart before the horse.

You might think the boys are silly,

but they have connections.

It could be big for you.

You know, you really ought to mentally prepare.

And how are you preparing for your fame?

Uh, did I say something wrong?

No.

It's just there's nothing more exciting

than a rediscovered male genius.

What about a female genius?

It's better to be an ingénue.

(INTERCOM BUZZES)

Uh, excuse me.

(FOOTSTEPS)

Yeah?

ARNOLD: (ON INTERCOM) It's Arnold.

ED: Uh, I'm a little busy now.

ARNOLD: (ON INTERCOM) Open up, schmuck.

(INTERCOM BUZZES)

-Who's Arnold? -Uh, he-- he's a friend.

Should I hide under the bed or behind a shower curtain?

No.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

Hey. Sorry to bust in.

Ah, it's okay. What's going on?

GLORIA: Who is it dear?

Oh, you know, hey, I can come back another time.

Gloria Gardner.

Enchanté.

No, please.

I'll meet you downstairs across the street at the café,

Edward darling.

Okay.

Edward darling.

(FOOTSTEPS)

Hey, we haven't seen you around for a couple of days.

Ah, I'm sorry, but, you know, those guys really wound me up.

It wasn't you.

-They're great guys, but-- -Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know, sometimes they can be real assholes.

Yeah, I-- I get it. Who is she?

She's an actress. She's reading my poems.

ARNOLD: Reading your poems?

Yeah, there's a group in there having a reading.

It's nothing. It's no big deal.

30 years we know each other and now all of a sudden

you got secrets?

(CHUCKLES)

It's not important.

Okay. So, uh, can we come?

No. I mean it.

Uh, I don't want anyone there.

All right, fine.

I-- I-- I won't tell anyone and we-- we won't come.

Can I come?

-ED: We'll see, maybe. -ARNOLD: Good.

Listen, uh, thanks for coming but, uh, you know?

-Uh. -She's waiting for me now.

Okay, I get it.

Yeah, she's, uh, she's-

She's cool. She's cool.

Yeah, okay.

So I guess, uh, you're not gonna check out

the Georgetown St. John's game?

Oh, damn. I-- I-- I forgot all about that.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. -I got a lot of stuff to do.

ARNOLD: Whatever.

(DOOR SHUTS)

(TRAFFIC MOVING)

ED: What do you have there?

GLORIA: You know what these are.

Oh.

Come on. It'll be fun.

ED: If you say so.

GLORIA: SoHo's changed a lot since you got here, right?

ED: Oh, yeah.

You see those windows at the top of that building?

That was Frank Moore's loft.

When I first got to the city, I went to a party there

and met poets, painters, writers, and theater people.

Cookie Mueller did a reading.

Cookie was cool. Sharon was there.

Downtown was another world then.

SoHo was like living on the moon.

You couldn't get a cab.

Everyone was an artist, everyone was poor,

everyone was young, until they weren't.

My hands are cold.

Here.

What do you do to get by? Acting gigs?

Mostly. I manage.

I sing, too.

Well, you're different than those rich kids

that don't have to do anything.

It seems like you work hard and you make your own way.

You're not supposed to think that.

I'm not?

No.

You're supposed to think that I eat caviar for breakfast

and that I go to Paris every year to buy the finest silks.

Who are you?

That's more like it.

I mean it.

Saxberger. Saxberger.

Oh, Saxberger.

Gloria.

(CHUCKLES)

Gloria.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

Gloria.

I was supposed to read my poem today.

Oh, shoot. What time is it?

-Um-- -We gotta go.

We're gonna be late.

ED: Where are we going?

GLORIA: Oh, we're going back in time.

(APPLAUSE)

AUDIENCE: Gloria!

Willkommen, bienvenue, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

So...

♪ I was young, I was just 16 then ♪

♪ When you came up from Burma one day ♪

♪ And you told me to pack up my suitcase ♪

♪ And you did, and you took me away ♪

♪ I said, do you work nice and steady ♪

♪ Or do you go sailing and roving out to sea? ♪

♪ And you said, I have a job on the railroad ♪

♪ And, baby, how swell it's all gonna be ♪

♪ You said a lot, Johnny, it was all lies ♪

♪ You sure had me fooled, Johnny, right from the start ♪

♪ I hate you when you laugh at me like that ♪

♪ Take that damn pipe out of your mouth, Johnny ♪

♪ Surabaya Johnny ♪

♪ Is it really the end? ♪

♪ Surabaya Johnny ♪

♪ Will the pain ever mend? ♪

♪ Surabaya Johnny ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ I burn at your touch, you have no heart, Johnny ♪

♪ But I love you so much ♪

♪ At first you were kind and gentle ♪

♪ Till I packed up and went off with you ♪

♪ And it lasted two weeks until one day ♪

♪ You laughed at me ♪

♪ Oh, and you hit me, too ♪

♪ You dragged me all over the city ♪

♪ Up the river, and down to the sea ♪

♪ Now I look at myself in the mirror ♪

♪ And there's an old woman staring back at me ♪

♪ You didn't want love, Johnny, you wanted cash ♪

♪ But when I look at those lips, Johnny, and that was that ♪

♪ I gave you all I had, but you wanted more, Johnny ♪

♪ Wipe that nasty grin right off your face, you rat ♪

♪ Surabaya Johnny ♪

♪ No one's meaner than you ♪

♪ Surabaya Johnny ♪

♪ But oh, God, I still love you ♪

♪ Surabaya Johnny ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ I burn at your touch ♪

♪ You have no heart, Johnny ♪

♪ But I love you so much ♪

(♪♪♪)

Oh, yeah. Hmm, hold on.

Uh-uh, okay. Uh, you want--

I try one now?

-Okay. -Okay.

Um, there once was a man from old Flatbush.

He tried to find-- no, wait a second.

-Let-- let me... -This is so stupid.

Um, not quite--

There once was a man from old Flatbush.

Ba, da, da, da, da, da, da, fat tush.

He looked far and li-- wi-- he looked far and wide

for a beautiful bride.

And the ones he knew cried

and seasons collide.

Good.

Right?

Oh, yeah.

You must've been beautiful when you were young.

(♪♪♪)

ED: Seasons collide.

Seasons collide.

GLORIA: ♪ I love you so much ♪

ED: Seasons collide.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

ED: Seasons collide.

EZRA POUND: (ON TAPE) What thou lov'st well remains,

the rest is dross.

What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee.

What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage.

ED: Past is past.

And if one remembers what one meant to do and never did...

...is not to have thought to do enough.

ED: Past is past.

Seasons collide.

(INDISTINCT CHANTER)

ED: Seasons collide.

(INDISTINCT CHANTER)

ED: I'll never write another poem.

Well, so far only about a dozen, and five of those

are Winn's family.

And our neighbor and our-- our neighbor's friend.

Most people just show up and buy a ticket at the door.

-BRUSSARD: No, they don't. -SHERFEY: Yeah, they do.

So, what? You--

ED: Hi. I'm Ed.

She's a friend.

MEYERS: Regardless, the best thing we can do is make sure

if you want someone there, they know when it is.

Remind your friends. Call in the favors.

Winn, how many times have we emailed them?

WINN: That's his wife's...

MEYERS: Can you pull that up?

-Give me a sense-- -What about your friends?

MEYERS: --of how many people you got...

I don't have any friends.

You don't have any friends from back in the day?

Like who?

Like, Gregory Corso.

I-- he wasn't my friend. And besides, he's dead.

CARMICHAEL: Oh, sorry.

I mean, I was thinking of somebody else.

Um, sorry, I can't remember now.

I have work friends, but they don't really have

an ear for poetry.

Well, once they're in the chair, they're the audience,

and that's what we need.

The more, the better.

Hey, did you give Gloria your poem?

Uh, no, I haven't finished it yet.

So, where are you at in the process?

I'm, uh, I haven't written it out fully yet.

Actually, I haven't even started it.

-It's tomorrow. -I know.

Will you be able to finish it? Or...

Probably not.

So, what are we supposed to do?

Well, you already have a lot of other poems, right?

That's true.

We can use, uh, one of the older ones.

It would be new to the audience in any case,

like you said.

Would you be okay with that, Saxberger?

That sounds good. Thank you.

No, it doesn't w-- it already says new work.

Well, it's too late to reprint them now,

-so it doesn't-- -All right. Okay.

I-- I wasn't being lazy.

I don't want you to think that, you know?

I-- I just couldn't do it.

It's not a sad thing, it just didn't happen.

You know, sometimes I think if I was living a different life,

like if I had some residencies, a tenure spot somewhere,

maybe if I was living that life, maybe it would be easier

to write a poem.

But that didn't happen.

A-- and I'm not sure I wanted that life anyway.

We'll use the old one.

It's okay, Ed.

-Winn. -WINN: Yeah.

MEYERS: The list serves that you emailed.

-WINN: Mm-hmm. -MEYERS: Can you send me them?

-WINN: Yeah. -MEYERS: All of them.

-I wanna see the list. -WINN: Yeah.

MEYERS: Because how many of the people

on here are people we don't know?

If he puts it on paper, maybe we'd have a show.

(INTERCOM RINGS)

GLORIA: (ON INTERCOM) Hello?

It's me.

GLORIA: (ON INTERCOM) Who?

Saxberger.

GLORIA: (ON INTERCOM) Now is not really the best time.

You showed up at my place unannounced.

(DOOR BUZZES)

(DOOR OPENS)

(FOOTSTEPS)

(DOOR OPENS)

Hi.

Hell of a climb.

Yeah. Look, it's, uh, it's good to see you,

but this is no good time.

You have to go somewhere?

No.

I'm sorry for barging in, but I came to see you.

GLORIA: This is a friend. He's gonna leave in a minute.

(DOOR SHUTS)

That's your roommate?

-Yeah. -(KNOCKS DOOR)

PAPAYZAN: Okay, this is just too much.

GLORIA: Fine. I... I know.

(DOOR SHUTS)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

(DOOR OPENS, SHUTS)

How'd you hook up with him?

It's his apartment, and he's a dear old friend.

So, what's-- what's going on?

Not very friendly.

Let's have the rest of this conversation

the next time we see each other, all right?

Is everything okay?

Yes, it's fine.

Are you fucking this guy for free rent?

Jesus, Saxberger.

Uh, sorry. I'm just trying to understand.

I'm fine, really.

I came here because I wanted to tell you

that I've been thinking about you.

Okay.

Did I do something wrong?

No.

Things are just complicated for me.

Well, hey, marked the poem for tomorrow.

Great.

-(DOOR OPENS) -Hey, hey.

I want you to get dressed and come with me,

I'll take you out to dinner.

That sounds lovely, but I need to take a rain check, okay?

I-- I just wanna make sure you're really okay.

Yes. Really.

Hmm?

You better leave, okay? I'm gonna say goodbye now.

(DOOR SHUTS)

(FOOTSTEPS)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(VEHICLES WHOOSHING)

(♪♪♪)

That's kind of a communal space.

There actually seems to be people living here.

-You'll see. -MEYERS: The Soviet anthem

there, that Brussard's cue.

-That's our opera. -Saxberger is here.

I think there's other three in here as well

that I sent to you.

Hey.

What's this hippie place?

MEYERS: I know, it's all a bit déclassé,

but people know this place.

I mean, people come here.

We're gonna get a great house, I promise.

The guys are in the back.

BRUSSARD: I just don't understand

why can't you just read it?

You should shut up, man.

Why can't you read it?

-ED: Hi, fellas. -Hey.

CARMICHAEL: No, there's just no way that I can read it.

It's written explicitly for a woman.

I haven't prepared. C-- could we find a woman?

SHERFEY: It's fine.

CARMICHAEL: No, I'm not a performer. I'm a playwright.

I mean, that has to mean something.

What are you talking about?

Gardner isn't coming. She doesn't feel like it.

What?

SHERFEY: Yeah, she's sick.

-She's sick? -SHERFEY: She might not come.

Who's gonna read my poem?

Well, it's-- it's a migraine.

-She has them. -A migraine?

No, her and Carmichael got into an argument.

That's all. She's just winding him up.

She's making him sweat. It's gonna be all right.

CARMICHAEL: Hey, fuck off, Brussard.

BRUSSARD: Well, this is--

Oh, this is so fucked up, man.

I don't even know what I'm doing here.

This isn't easy for me.

For you, you-- you-- you're all young, well off.

You got nothing to lose.

It's like you don't give a shit. Meyers, what's the plan?

-MEYERS: Plan? -My poem, who's gonna read it?

There's a lot going on. This isn't all about your poem.

Willkommen, bienvenue.

Well...

CARMICHAEL: Gloria.

(THUDS)

Am I the last one here?

Yeah, but you're on time. Don't worry.

I almost missed it, kids, but I'm here. Okay?

-Saxberger freaked out. -Oh, fuck it. fuck it.

Can I get a glass of room temperature water?

I thought you knew this,

No, Fernandez has taken his... (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

People, they are angry.

That's my neighbor.

(WHISPERING)

(LYRICS IN RUSSIAN)

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE, CHEERS)

For years, a battle has been raging for the soul

of our community of artists, a battle very few...

Brainwashing social media, it's threatening your very

freedom of thought.

It's homogenizing the masses and paving way to dictatorship,

clickbait cognitive dictatorship.

And when dictatorship is a fact--

Okay. That's my cue.

BRUSSARD: Revolution is a right.

Revolution is a right.

For those of you who don't know, that's Victor Hugo,

one of the greatest writers of the 19th century.

GLORIA: Just help me out of this.

Terminate your cellular devices immediately

for the remainder of the evening.

It is my honor to introduce to you the Enthusiasm--

-GLORIA: Ugh! -Society.

GLORIA: Okay, I got it.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

Where is my little boy?

That's a question of every day, isn't it?

That's what the neighbors ask, and his school friends,

and the policeman, too.

I told them I didn't know, and I still don't.

Where is my little boy?

Even a doctor's visit feels like a refreshing change

of pace, even the DMV.

He played outside with the neighborhood kids.

It was that kind of place.

I grew up in a hideous place, but here...

...this is a childhood.

Where's my little boy?

I know where my son's body is...

...but where is my son?

After the accident, after I panicked

and cleaned everything up, I hid his tiny body

from everyone, even his own father.

Where did he go then?

Such a decision cannot be undone once it is made, you see?

You see!

I can tell you see.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

-MAX: Hello. -My name is Max Murphy,

and this is an experimental poem--

-Hey, that was amazing. -Mm-hmm.

CARMICHAEL: That was one for the ages.

-Come on. -MAX: ...Meditation in Autumn.

You're incredible.

Thank you. I just need to sit down.

(MAX MAKING NOISES IN BACKGROUND)

Oh.

I just need a New York minute.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

Great talons shred the sky, weeping rain--

Gloria, you're reading next. Winn's poem isn't very long.

WINN: Coursing like a mighty river.

Hey, Gloria.

WINN: (INDISTINCT SPEECH)

down the rivulets that spread through and over

my core existence.

ED: Is she okay?

CARMICHAEL: Yeah. No, she's okay. She's breathing fine.

Gloria, Gloria.

And my words sparkle like diamonds.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

AUDIENCE MEMBER 1: Love you, sweetie.

She's (INDISTINCT SPEECH)

You're gonna have to read it yourself.

I guess so.

It'll be all right.

This is as it always should have been.

Where's the book?

I think it's in her jacket. I'm gonna introduce you.

Fuck.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

A rare thing to discover someone whose work

is as relevant today as it was in 1979.

Someone who confoundingly slipped through the cracks

of a culture that desperately needed him.

ED: Ah.

It is my great honor and pleasure to reintroduce

the great New York poet, Ed Saxberger.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

I am going to be reading from Way Past Go.

I flew like a spark from the fires I kindled,

back in the rusted hollow heart of this America.

Kept my eyes on the sky from the back window of a Peter

Pan bus, all the way into my dark glittering

asphalt Mecca.

Pockmarked streets I ached to walk, rolled out for me,

a wine dark carpet with an underworld humming underfoot.

My moving shadow landed downtown...

...where everything was always happening,

right now and forever.

A thousand and one nights on $1.98 a day.

Discount delights of shimmering rayon

and scattered stones of cubic zirconia.

Canal Street, canvas sky over cardboard sea,

from dawn to dawn, right now and forever.

We made everything happen and never stopped,

and never called it work, because it was all only ours...

...beat to beat, from waking up cold on cracked rib floors,

to writing these words for you, and only you.

Eyed you behind the bar at Three Roses, pencil wrists,

raccoon eyes, puckered lipsticked mouth

that murmured, "How about you write me a sonnet?"

Wrote that first one by candlelight at your place

on Grand and Thompson, after we came so hard

that we both cried.

Writing this one, with shivering hand...

...on the uptown A Train,

to get to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem, longer than a sonnet,

a poem that won't end until it finds you...

...wherever you've gone to.

Maybe tending bar at the Blarney Stone,

or out on tour with that band again.

Maybe picking peaches in the San Joaquin Valley,

or doing the au pair thing in L.A., or maybe you're with me

like Eurydice, daring me to turn around.

That first night at Three Roses, rockets whispered in my ear,

"She'll burn you, man."

And that's just what you did, right now and forever.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

AUDIENCE MEMBER 2: Way to go, Grandpa!

(AUDIENCE CHUCKLES)

AUDIENCE MEMBER 2: Way to go, Grandpa!

MEYERS: Incredible. Really loved it.

-I don't know. -You all right, Saxberger?

Yeah, I'm good. Yeah.

-That was great. -Oh, good. Thank you.

Congratulations on your performance up there.

-It was excellent. -Good.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 2: Way to go, Grandpa!

(INDISTINCT SPEECH)

That's great.

Get ready for offers.

(CHUCKLES)

(INDISTINCT BACKGROUND CHATTER)

JACK KEROUAC: (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

GLORIA: Hey, Saxberger.

How'd it go?

Just beautifully.

You don't look satisfied.

Honestly.

I'm really thirsty.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

-I'm having a hard time. -Uh, I, uh, uh....

Listen, let me help you with this.

(CAN PSST)

It's cold.

There you go.

Thank you.

Will you tell Carmichael that I accepted the role

in Minneapolis?

I don't know what you're talking about.

I'm doing Winter's Tale at a very respected theater

in Minneapolis.

Wonderful.

That's great news, right?

Yeah.

You know, I'm an artist.

Yeah, I know.

And I belong to no one, just my art.

I know.

I gotta go.

(♪♪♪)

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(FOOTSTEPS)

PAULY: What's that?

Uh, it's just a little something.

Uh, you been to a party?

May I?

Atque in perpetuum frater, ave atque vale.

What does that mean?

Goodbye and farewell, brother.

-You leaving? -No.

I'm just quoting some poetry.

You should keep it. Looks better on you.

Good night.

(FLICKS SWITCH)

(KEYS CLATTER)

(SIGHING)

ED'S SISTER: (ON PHONE) Hi, Jimmy died

a couple of hours ago,

just thought you should know.

See you later.

(STAPLES)

(♪♪♪)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER IN BACKGROUND)

(♪♪♪)

The Enthusiasm Society, a self-declared literary

group with a cheerful or sarcastic name,

depending on your interpretation,

staged a recital/reading/ performance.

Maybe a hodgepodge is more like it.

(OVERLAPPING SPEECH)

SHERFEY: A hodgepodge of poets, and writers, and actors.

As an event, it all had a kind of ramshackle charm.

Apart from a haunting reading by an old-- by an--

an old village bard, and an all-stops-out

performance by a veteran actress,

you didn't miss much if you didn't attend.

Where's Gloria?

She and Saxberger came out okay.

ED: Uh, she wanted me to tell you guys that, uh,

she was offered a gig at this theater in Minneapolis,

and she's gonna take it.

Good for her.

CARMICHAEL: Here's, um, some arts website.

Um, "yesterday, a reading of works by Lower

Manhattan's best-known..."

Best-known?

Um, "literary society, Enthusiasm, who was

organized by the group's Diaghilev-Wilson Meyers."

Who's Diaghilev?

Ballet Russe. Nijinsky, Stravinsky.

The-- he's a great impresario.

CARMICHAEL: Uh, buh, buh.

"Poems, monologues, and essays presented

by the mostly young authors themselves,

and actresses."

Uh, then they just sorta name...

Yeah, all of us.

So that's-- that's good, right?

Special mention of the actress.

Um, "And met with lively ovations from the audience.

Even if the fermenting must has a way to go before

aging into an elegant wine, this group of young

artistes could signal the start of something new

and the return of something old and sorely needed."

SHERFEY: That's not bad.

WINN: That's actually pretty good. Yeah.

♪ To the tables down at Mory's ♪

Something off about it.

What do you mean?

Who did it say wrote it?

Uh, tuh, tuh. Just says staff.

You're being awfully fucking quiet over there.

Are you just letting the must ferment?

Wait, what does that mean?

He wrote it.

I don't understand it.

CARMICHAEL: You wrote that?

I don't understand.

I may have used my influence a bit, it's--

CARMICHAEL: Used your influence or you wrote it?

It's a matter of positioning.

If Diaghilev were alive today, he would've written

his own reviews.

It's a half step away from what they already are.

And, I mean, I-- I couldn't write you a rave review!

I was very fair.

BRUSSARD: You're not fucking Diaghilev.

And who gave you the permission to anoint us

the start of the return of fucking anything?

I mean, who even made you our fucking leader?

I am the leader! Who else would be the leader?

I worked day and night to bring us all under one tent!

Why? Because I believe!

I brought us together! I kept us together!

I founded Ed, for God's sake!

Sorry, I didn't suck your dick about some stupid

fucking essay!

♪ We're little black sheep ♪

♪ Who have gone astray ♪

♪ Baa, baa, baa ♪

What the fuck do you believe in, huh?

Nothing!

♪ Gentleman songsters off on a spree ♪

♪ Doomed from here ♪

Fuck this.

♪ To eternity ♪

♪ Lord have mercy on such as we ♪

That's enough for me.

BRUSSARD: Yeah, me, too.

Wanna go get dinner?

ED: No. I'm too tired.

Yeah.

♪ Gentleman songsters off on a spree ♪

I lost my appetite, too.

♪ Doomed from here to eternity ♪

(FOOTFALL)

♪ Lord have mercy in such as we ♪

♪ Baa, baa, baa ♪

WINN: Saxberger. Hi.

I just-- I wanted to say that I--

I really have a lot of respect for you and your work.

ED: That's very kind.

Well, uh, anyway, I was, uh, wondering

if you'd be amenable

to taking a look at some of my work.

You know, I-- I really trust your opinion

and I'd like to know

if you think I have any talent.

You're young.

You have everything ahead of you.

Yeah, I-- I know. I realize that.

It's just, you know,

before I dedicate my life to something I wanted--

Look, look.

Whatever you send me, I'll look at it.

I'd be happy to.

But as far as deciding whether you

have talent or not, I don't know the first

thing about that.

But you're Saxberger.

Hey, if it was really good or really awful, maybe.

But then, talent is just part of it.

You know, you really shouldn't put your self-worth

on a platter and hand it to an old guy like me.

Wait. You're-- you're a genius.

Stop.

Why do you put so much stock in my opinion?

Tell me something.

Did you honestly like Way Past Go?

I've been dying to read it, really.

And I keep asking Meyers,

he promised he would lend it to me.

He promised everybody, but you can't really rely on him.

-So? -I mean he-- You know...

-I'd wanted to read it. -Nobody read it, right?

But your reading was amazing.

Okay.

You don't read mine. I don't read yours.

Okay?

Good luck, kid.

(♪♪♪)

-(DOOR OPENS) -(ENTRANCE BELLS RINGS)

(DOOR SHUTS)

-Hey, Ed. -Hey.

-ED: Hey. -ARNOLD: Yeah.

There he is.

(INDISTINCT SPEECH)

(♪♪♪)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

ED: All right, all right.

ARNOLD: You were this close.

ED: That's something, that's something,

that's something.

Okay. Here we go.

I like that. No, I don't like that.

I like that, but I don't like that.

-ARNOLD: Oh. -ED: Oh.

-CLUB PATRON: Yee-yee. Yee-yee. -ARNOLD: Sorry, buddy.

CLUB PATRON: Yee-yee.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

ED: Keep going, baby.

ARNOLD: Okay. (INDISTINCT SPEECH)

I can do that.

There you go.

ARNOLD: Scratch off the back.

ED: Yeah. (INDISTINCT SPEECH)

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