{"id":4151,"date":"2022-01-10T22:17:49","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T06:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8000\/?page_id=4151"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:07:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T02:07:01","slug":"organic-trains-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/literary-works\/books-of-poetry-by-jim-carroll\/organic-trains-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Organic Trains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Get this book on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B0006F3VJQ?ie=UTF8&amp;linkCode=ll1&amp;tag=thejimcarrollweb&amp;linkId=853ca56db246cbcab1d4c7f1ac4c63a0&amp;language=en_US&amp;ref_=as_li_ss_tl\">Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\" style=\"grid-template-columns:38% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><a class=\"foobox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/organ2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"284\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/organ2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-172 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/organ2.jpg 284w, https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/organ2-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/organ2-132x192.jpg 132w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"ext-bibliography\"><strong><em>Organic Trains<\/em><\/strong><br><strong>Published:<\/strong> 1967<br><strong>By:<\/strong> Jim Carroll<br><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Penny Press<br><strong>Length:<\/strong> 17 pages<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Description<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Organic Trains<\/em>&nbsp;is Carroll&#8217;s first book, published when he was 16, while he was still in high school (at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/background\/behind-the-basketball-diaries\/trinity-school-1968-yearbook\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"646\">Trinity<\/a>). The book is 17 pages long and contains 16 poems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ill Couples<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3 Seas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poem<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Anarchists<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Crucible of Dreams<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poem of Arrivals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On the Way<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>11 trains (eleven poems titled &#8220;1st Train&#8221; through &#8220;11th Train&#8221;).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Only about 500 copies of this book were printed, and Carroll says the printer lost many of them. It is extremely rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trivia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"765\" src=\"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OT-Garren-by-Peter-Harrington-1024x765.jpg\" alt=\"Organic Trains signed by JC to Brent &quot;Bunty Gargen&quot; Garren - Photo by Peter Harrington (www.peterharrington.co.uk)\" class=\"wp-image-10701\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OT-Garren-by-Peter-Harrington-1024x765.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OT-Garren-by-Peter-Harrington-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OT-Garren-by-Peter-Harrington-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OT-Garren-by-Peter-Harrington-768x574.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OT-Garren-by-Peter-Harrington-1536x1148.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OT-Garren-by-Peter-Harrington-2048x1530.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OT-Garren-by-Peter-Harrington-192x143.jpg 192w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><strong>Organic Trains<\/strong> signed by JC to Brent &#8220;Bunty Gargen&#8221; Garren &#8211; Photo by Peter Harrington (<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.peterharrington.co.uk\">www.peterharrington.co.uk<\/a><em>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carroll wrote the poems while riding NYC subway trains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The poems in&nbsp;<em>Organic Trains<\/em>&nbsp;were typed and printed by&nbsp;<strong>Brent Garren&nbsp;(aka &#8220;Bunty Gargen&#8221;<\/strong> in&nbsp;<em>The Basketball Diaries<\/em>) and his girlfriend Janet (mentioned on page 72 in&nbsp;<em>The Basketball Diaries<\/em>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cassie Carter, CatholicBoy.com webmaster, shared an office with Janet in 1999-2000 (<em>small world!<\/em>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re still reading,&nbsp;here&#8217;s the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/articles-poems-by-jim-carroll\/organic-trains-poems-by-jim-carroll-full-text\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"4159\">full text<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get this book on Amazon Organic TrainsPublished: 1967By: Jim CarrollPublisher: Penny PressLength: 17 pages Description Organic Trains&nbsp;is Carroll&#8217;s first book, published when he was 16, while he was still in high school (at&nbsp;Trinity). The book is 17 pages long and contains 16 poems: Only about 500 copies of this book were printed, and Carroll says &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/literary-works\/books-of-poetry-by-jim-carroll\/organic-trains-2\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Organic Trains<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":548,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"folder":[85],"class_list":["post-4151","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P9VlUH-14X","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":552,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/literary-works\/books-of-poetry-by-jim-carroll\/fear-of-dreaming-the-selected-poems-of-jim-carroll\/","url_meta":{"origin":4151,"position":0},"title":"Fear of Dreaming: The Selected Poems of Jim Carroll (Second Edition)","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"August 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Get this book on Amazon Fear of Dreaming: The Selected Poems of Jim CarrollSecond EditionPublished: 1998By: Jim CarrollPublisher: Penguin BooksLength: 113 pagesCover design: Gail BelensonCover painting: Paul Klee,\u00a0Picture Album, 1937 Fear of Dreaming\u00a0collects all of Carroll's poems from\u00a0Living at the Movies\u00a0and most of\u00a0The Book of Nods. While some of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Fear of Dreaming: The Selected Poems of Jim Carroll","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fear2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":548,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/literary-works\/books-of-poetry-by-jim-carroll\/","url_meta":{"origin":4151,"position":1},"title":"Books of Poetry by Jim Carroll","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"August 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Mass Market Books Void of CoursePublished: 1998By: Jim CarrollPublisher: Penguin PoetsDescription: Carroll's last collection of poetry, released in October 1998. Includes \"8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain.\" (113 pages) Get this book on Amazon.com Fear of Dreaming: The Selected Poems of Jim CarrollPublished: 1993, 1998By: Jim CarrollPublisher: Penguin BooksDescription: This 273-page\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Hearts & Sinew (various editions) by Jim Carroll","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/hearts_sinew_versions.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/hearts_sinew_versions.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/hearts_sinew_versions.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/hearts_sinew_versions.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":709,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/feature-articles\/jim-carroll-ted-berrigan\/","url_meta":{"origin":4151,"position":2},"title":"Jim Carroll by Ted Berrigan","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"January 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ted BerriganCulture Hero 1.5 (1969) Download PDFDownload Jim Carroll has to be the biggest thing arriving in heroic culture right now. \"How does it feel to be a famous poet?\" \"It feels . . .\" No, no more. It's beginning to feel famous? & half the population is under 25.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9622,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/background\/friends-influences\/important-people-in-carrolls-life-and-work\/artistic-influences-mentors-supporters\/frank-ohara\/","url_meta":{"origin":4151,"position":3},"title":"Frank O&#8217;Hara","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"May 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Frank O'Hara is Carroll's number one literary influence and favorite poet, although they never met. References to O'Hara in Carroll's work include: Organic Trains Includes lines from O'Hara in its dedication \"2nd Train\" is dedicated to O'Hara. Catholic Boy \"Nothing Is True\" alludes to O'Hara's lines in \"starts out like\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Qyway4e8TLs\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4046,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/academic-studies-of-jim-carroll\/masters-thesis-1990-basketball-diaries-and-forced-entries\/a-jim-carroll-chronology\/","url_meta":{"origin":4151,"position":4},"title":"A Jim Carroll Chronology","author":"catholicboy.com","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Appendix A Jim Carroll Chronology Jim Carroll's The Basketball Diaries and Forced Entries By Cassie Carter Title Page \u00a0 Table of Contents \u00a0 Abstract \u00a0 Chapter One \u00a0 Chapter Two \u00a0 Chapter Three \u00a0 Chapter Four \u00a0 Appendix \u00a0 Notes \u00a0 Works Cited This chronology was compiled in 1990. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4664,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/literary-works\/jim-carrolls-work-in-anthologies\/","url_meta":{"origin":4151,"position":5},"title":"Jim Carroll&#8217;s Work in Anthologies","author":"catholicboy.com","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Portable Sixties ReaderPublished: January 2003Ed. Ann ChartersPublisher: Penguin Classics Get this book on Amazon Includes selections from The Basketball Diaries. \"From civil rights to free love, JFK to LSD, Woodstock to the Moonwalk, the Sixties was a time of change, political unrest, and radical experiments in the arts, sexuality,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fourth-sex.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4151"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10704,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4151\/revisions\/10704"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=4151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}