Gertrude Pain

by Ron Padgett

I’ve often claimed
that the release from pain
is better than
the experience of pleasure,
and people look at me.
“Poor guy,” they think,
“he’s losing it.”
They wouldn’t say that
about Gertrude Stein.
Stopping reading her
is better than
the pleasure of reading her.
Stopping reading her
is better than
the pleasure of reading her.