Page 177

By Jack Joseph Smith

Ego Thought way out there to think All the way to the end thinking nothing at all Representation included, what a perfect collection It isn't like Ball&Kerm jars caming fruit Cause the ego dosen't care, if it gets it right Not to say don't take your poetry well Not to say don't let ego have a will But each time you start You got to know That you are going to have to Read between the lines

Original Scan

AI Interpretation

GPT

This second "Ego" page shifts from abstraction into instruction, arguing that poetry must reckon with ego's indifference while still learning to read what lies hidden between the lines.

The page keeps the earlier "perfect collection" language but becomes more practical and admonishing. Ego is not treated as something to abolish entirely, only as something too careless to be trusted with final meaning. The last turn is the key one, because it makes reading an act of discipline rather than passive appreciation.

Claude

Ego (full form): representation included, ego doesn't care if it gets it right, but each time you start you have to know you're going to read between the lines.