A Mercy-Filled & Defiant Xmas to All Worthy to be Called Men

1970. The poem measures 61 x 45 cm. Kenneth Patchen sent it out for The Christmas holiday and is accompanied by a long 40-line letter he wrote to Larry Lake, publisher of Mano-Mano (Bowery Press), dated June 2, 1971 (in original hand addressed envelope), with his Palo Alto address. In this letter he says things have become a bit scrambled regarding permission to have his work quoted in Mano-Mano. He refers to his letter of January 20, [1971] where he says "you wrote us a letter in which you say..." here he quotes what Larry Lake had written about the proposed issue and Lake's note that he plans to dedicate it to him and list all his works. He also notes that his wife [Miriam] had sent a note of thanks and granted permission. Note: here we have the original letter of 20 lines from Miriam dated January 24, 1971 (also in original hand-addressed envelope in which she beautifully expresses her thanks for his desire to honor her husband but inexplicably she writes: "of course you have permission for quotations from Kenneth's work" with the provision that he gives credit to New Directions. Sincerely, Miriam Patchen". Our surmise is that the reason Larry Lake returned the original letter from Miriam the Patchens was to explain why he had begun to go ahead with the project with the assumption full permission was granted. With this background Kenneth Patchen's letter continues: "I would not have.... could not have granted anyone permission to do an "anthology" presentation of my work: [the legal] rights here are in the possession of New Directions. And they can be very rough with anyone who infringes upon them. "They Keep Riding Down All the Time", though presently out of print is fully protected by copyright. This fall or next spring New Directions will publish it in a volume with several other shorter pieces of mine. It is their plan to restore all my out-of-print titles to print again. Enclosed is a "Christmas Greeting" [see note on broadside] You may put it in your magazine if you like. It's the only unprinted thing of mine which I have on hand. Hope it serves. Also sending you a copy of a new book which lists all New Directions things to date. Miriam and my best to Karlyn & you. Sincerely yours, Kenneth Patchen. (He adds a P.S.) "My back has been giving me particular hell these past months." The third item is from Miriam on Patchen Cards, No. 221 dated September 25, 1971, and handwritten (though mailed to Kenneth Lake) noting: "Mano-Mano just arrived. How very moving! Beautiful. Both of us are deeply stirred. Thank You. Stuart Perkoff's wish that some of the pain might be eased by his love. Oh my, yes. It does indeed ease it much. People are beautiful. The world is beautiful. Thank you, Dear Friends, our black cat, Mr. Sitwell, greets Bowery Press's Black Cat.