Reading the ending of 'Howl' as a literature student, I was struck by how Ginsberg subverts traditional poetic closure. Instead of resolution, he amplifies the dissonance. The final section, 'Footnote to Howl,' abruptly shifts tone with its incantatory 'Holy!' repetitions. It’s as if Ginsberg is reclaiming the divine for the outcasts—the addicts, the mad, the queer. The poem’s ending doesn’t tidy up; it explodes. It’s a radical act of love, naming the stigmatized as sacred.
What fascinates me is how the structure mirrors the Beat ethos: spontaneous, unfiltered, rejecting linear narratives. The ending feels like a jazz improvisation—ecstatic, messy, alive. Ginsberg isn’t just writing about Carl Solomon; he’s writing to him, turning the poem into a lifeline. It’s less about 'meaning' and more about presence, a refusal to let despair have the last word. I sometimes wonder if the ending is Ginsberg’s way of saying that the act of howling itself is the point—not the answer, but the sound.
I first encountered 'Howl' in my 20s, and its ending still gives me chills. It’s like Ginsberg takes everything—the anger, the joy, the madness—and hurls it into the sky. The repetition of 'Holy' feels like a spell, turning the ordinary (supermarkets, streets) into something miraculous. The ending isn’t neat; it’s a frenzy of contradictions, much like life.
For me, it’s about finding light in the darkest places. Ginsberg doesn’t offer comfort—he offers recognition. That final 'I’m with you in Rockland' isn’t pity; it’s solidarity. It’s messy, human, and utterly unforgettable.
The ending of 'Howl' always hits me like a wave of raw emotion—it’s this chaotic, almost desperate celebration of the human spirit. Ginsberg wraps up the poem with a section dedicated to Carl Solomon, the friend he met in a psychiatric institution. It’s a howl of solidarity, a refusal to let society’s crushing norms silence the misfits and dreamers. The repetitive 'I’m with you in Rockland' feels like a mantra, a promise that even in isolation or madness, no one is truly alone. There’s this wild mix of pain and hope, like Ginsberg is clutching Solomon’s hand through the page, screaming against the cold machinery of conformity.
And then there’s the imagery—Holy! Holy! Holy!—it’s biblical but twisted, sacrilegious yet sacred. Ginsberg turns suffering into something transcendent, almost holy. The ending doesn’t resolve anything; it’s a door left swinging open. For me, it’s less about answers and more about the courage to keep howling into the void, to find beauty in the brokenness. Every time I read it, I feel this weird kinship with everyone who’s ever felt out of place.
2026-01-15 10:29:38
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The Cry of a Lycan
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For years there's been a voice in his head calling him, howling for his inner wolf.
He had tried to find out who she was, his mate, the wolf calling out to him, but he couldn't, until it was too late.
On the day my father died, his seven most trusted men all met violent deaths within the same twenty-four hours.
Hugh Castillo sacrificed his legs to butcher the gang and put me in power.
“Taz, don’t be scared. Those monsters are gone. You’re finally free.”
In the years he lay paralyzed, I tried over a thousand experimental drugs and prayed at every church across the country.
I hunted down every possible remedy, praying for just one that would bring him back to his feet.
When Hugh learned of this, he swallowed a bottle of pills one night to end his life.
After he was revived, he smiled and wiped the tears from my face. “Taz, I don’t want to be a dead weight. You deserve a better life than this.”
That night, we held each other and wept.
We swore that from then on, no matter what, we would never leave each other behind.
But seven years later, a sweet-looking girl showed up at my door with a thousand photos I was never meant to see.
“Every month, while you were praying to God in churches, Huey was busy trying out new positions with me.
“Ms. Sheargold, don’t you know that used goods like you kill a man’s desire? It was no wonder he’d rather play the cripple than touch you.”
I looked through every single photo, then put them up for auction underground.
I know that I don't have much time left after getting poisoned by wolfsbane.
I don't want to have any regrets, so I travel to the Sacred Crystal Lake, a place I have always wanted to visit.
I don't tell anyone that I plan to end my life there.
I didn't expect to run into my ex-mate there. We haven't seen each other in ten years. He has become the Alpha that he has always wanted to be, and he's wearing a ring that has another she-wolf's name engraved on it.
As for me, I've already thrown away our token of love and erased him from my heart.
We're exchanging pleasantries when he suddenly asks, "Do you still hate me, Giselle?"
I shake my head. My life is about to end, after all. I don't need to hold on to anything anymore.
In the last moments of my life, I just want to see the sea of irises that the Moon Goddess has blessed.
Harold missed our fifth anniversary.
He said Rogues had attacked the border, and as the Alpha, he had to fight to protect the pack.
However, the she-wolf who came to fetch him was dressed in a tight little dress and heels—she looked more ready for a date than a battle.
Worried for Harold, I went to the Moon Goddess's altar to pray for his safety, like I always do whenever he's called to fight.
However, on the way, a witch told me there was no war at the border at all.
He lied to me.
At that moment, I knew it was time to walk away. "I want to break my mate bond with Harold," I said.
She turned the pages of an old, dusty spellbook. "Harold won't accept this. He was even willing to give up his claim to the Alpha title just to be with you."
"I don't need his permission," I said. "I'm willing to pay any price."
She sighed. "If your heart is truly set on leaving, I can brew a potion for you. One sip, and your scent will vanish from the pack's memory—as if you never existed.
"However, think carefully. You'll lose your title as Luna, leave behind your home, your people. You'll start over somewhere new, where no one knows your name. Not even the Moon Goddess will be able to find you."
I said, "I've made up my mind, I refuse to stay in a love built on lies.
"How soon can I have the potion?"
"Three days."
Three days. Just enough time to say goodbye to everything I once called home.
My wolf had been wounded by silver. It took me two years to find a rare herbal cure.
But before I could use it, my mate, Gary, gave it away—without hesitation—to my adopted sister, the Black clan’s darling, Jane.
The healer told me I had only one week left to live. So, I made a decision: I would freeze my body. Preserve it.
I donated myself to Jane’s Werewolf Research Facility—the one she took such pride in.
The day I signed the donation agreement, my pup threw himself into my arms and said, “Mommy and Aunt Jane are finally getting along again!”
My parents praised me, saying I had finally learned what sisterhood meant.
Gary looked relieved. “You’ve finally let go of your resentment,” he said. “I’m proud of you.”
I smiled faintly.
Yes. I’ve finally learned to obey.
I would return the title of Black clan heiress to Jane, and did my best to grant everyone their wishes.
But it was only when they realized I could no longer fight back—
when my body had been sealed away in cryostasis, cold and silent—
that the regret began.
Suddenly, they wanted to bleed for me.
They wanted to compensate.
They wanted to follow me into the grave.
But where were they when I needed them,
when I was still alive?
Everyone at Alpha Academy believes my wolf is defective.
At nineteen, I still can't shift. While the heirs of the strongest Alpha bloodlines dominate the academy, I'm nothing more than the adopted daughter of an Alpha who expects me to serve his spoiled biological daughter.
A defective.
A punching bag.
A disgrace.
Then one mistake changes everything. During a combat trial, I display impossible strength. The strength I never knew I possessed, and suddenly, the three most powerful Alphas at the academy can't take their eyes off me.
The future Alpha King watches me like I'm a mystery he has to solve. The academy's golden boy refuses to leave my side. And the mysterious transfer student looks at me as if we've met before...
But while everyone is focused on me, something far more terrifying is happening beyond the academy walls. Humans are dying from a strange disease.
The Council insists it's none of our concern. They couldn't be more wrong. Because when the first howl echoes through Alpha Academy… Our world will never be the same again.