Sunflower Sutra

The form of the poem is in the continuum of Ginsberg’s other poetry based in the long line - a form that he found to be most conducive to the message he wanted to convey in his art. Each line does not contain a specific number of beats or syllables but is instead meant to move with the rhythm of breath. The poem uses short bursts of stanzas interweaved with two or three lines that express a moment of enlightenment or truth. In this way, Ginsberg’s poem becomes a Sutra.