(no subject)
Jul. 10th, 2006 12:48 pmSomteims, a poem is
best seen without sight, so that
now as Iwrite this I colse my eyes
and open others, so that
I don't have to see the page, the words, and
I can just feel it under my fingers,
like something more tangible, more necessary, more
alive. Something
that moves beneath my feet, something that quivers
like a living sidewalk
and takes me down roads unexpected. But
I wouldn't want to go anywhere old, to go
somewhere I have gone before -- there's
no learning in that, no experience, no
change, and that's what I crave from this life, that's
what most of the time I live for...
The words, the words, they spin away into
the space where lost words go, the ones
I cannot say, not here, not now, not because
I'm afriad at all, not because they are wrong or right, but
just because here they aren't meant to be, and
maybe later
mabye when I know better
they'll pop up and scream out, Use me, Use me! and
then I'll have to oblige. Then, when the words fall to the page
like ink-soaked meteors, when
everything flows and goes and happens as it should,
then and only then will I be satisfied.
I suppose that not all poets work like this,
spinning tales off the tips of their tongues,
throwing words out at the wall
and waiting for the right ones to stick;
producing, producing, producing (the first draft
of anything is shit, you gotta keep at it, you gotta
get past it) until out of a thousand words you find
the right three to say
what you really meant.
Like an archaeologis, I dig out the meaning,
dissecting the pieces
that I find, going over
every last indentation in the skeleton
of the piece,
stripped of flesh,
waiting for someone to come along
and reliably begin
the reconstruction...
!@#$%^&*&^%$#@! --- !@#$%^&*&^%$#@!
(This isn't me.)
The novel I haven't written
is really wonderful, you see -- there are
so many levels to it, such depth,
and I just can't get over
all that there is to it -- you must
understand, when I say I haven't
written it, I mean
that I haven't been able to write it, yet, because
really, it deserves more time than I have
to give it; it deserves my life, it demands
the utmost devotion. But I can guarantee
that once it's out there, man, it'll
blow the market away, I'll have people
begging me for autographs, movie deals,
man, it'll be sweet. You know I can do it, too -- I just
hope that no one'll get jealous, you know
how that can be, you're so great and then
those people you knew, they just can't
handle knowing
something that wonderful, so you get problems with
keeping those close friends, you know? I mean,
I don't want that to happen, but
it's bound to, right? I mean,
you know,
I'm just that good.
!@#$%^&*&^%$#@! --- !@#$%^&*&^%$#@!
Brevity is not
all there is to writing
or to life,
but some things deserve
imagery
and others deserve
silence.
!@#$%^&*&^%$#@! --- !@#$%^&*&^%$#@!
Produce a pound of shit and you're sure
to find at least an ounce of good,
something that's right, a line that's pure.
Sometimes they hide themselves away
and the search goes on and drains your strength --
you waste the best part of your day.
Don't let this be misunderstood --
there are things to be said for length --
But if you are to spill your blood
upon the page in a manic fit,
don't make others sift through your mud.
Please, I beg: CLEAN UP YOUR SHIT!
!@#$%^&*&^%$#@! --- !@#$%^&*&^%$#@!
We've started upon a poetry unit for the writing class, so I just had to "spill some blood" upon the page and see what happened. Well, I have. Now I think I can go and write some real poetry.
best seen without sight, so that
now as Iwrite this I colse my eyes
and open others, so that
I don't have to see the page, the words, and
I can just feel it under my fingers,
like something more tangible, more necessary, more
alive. Something
that moves beneath my feet, something that quivers
like a living sidewalk
and takes me down roads unexpected. But
I wouldn't want to go anywhere old, to go
somewhere I have gone before -- there's
no learning in that, no experience, no
change, and that's what I crave from this life, that's
what most of the time I live for...
The words, the words, they spin away into
the space where lost words go, the ones
I cannot say, not here, not now, not because
I'm afriad at all, not because they are wrong or right, but
just because here they aren't meant to be, and
maybe later
mabye when I know better
they'll pop up and scream out, Use me, Use me! and
then I'll have to oblige. Then, when the words fall to the page
like ink-soaked meteors, when
everything flows and goes and happens as it should,
then and only then will I be satisfied.
I suppose that not all poets work like this,
spinning tales off the tips of their tongues,
throwing words out at the wall
and waiting for the right ones to stick;
producing, producing, producing (the first draft
of anything is shit, you gotta keep at it, you gotta
get past it) until out of a thousand words you find
the right three to say
what you really meant.
Like an archaeologis, I dig out the meaning,
dissecting the pieces
that I find, going over
every last indentation in the skeleton
of the piece,
stripped of flesh,
waiting for someone to come along
and reliably begin
the reconstruction...
(This isn't me.)
The novel I haven't written
is really wonderful, you see -- there are
so many levels to it, such depth,
and I just can't get over
all that there is to it -- you must
understand, when I say I haven't
written it, I mean
that I haven't been able to write it, yet, because
really, it deserves more time than I have
to give it; it deserves my life, it demands
the utmost devotion. But I can guarantee
that once it's out there, man, it'll
blow the market away, I'll have people
begging me for autographs, movie deals,
man, it'll be sweet. You know I can do it, too -- I just
hope that no one'll get jealous, you know
how that can be, you're so great and then
those people you knew, they just can't
handle knowing
something that wonderful, so you get problems with
keeping those close friends, you know? I mean,
I don't want that to happen, but
it's bound to, right? I mean,
you know,
I'm just that good.
Brevity is not
all there is to writing
or to life,
but some things deserve
imagery
and others deserve
silence.
Produce a pound of shit and you're sure
to find at least an ounce of good,
something that's right, a line that's pure.
Sometimes they hide themselves away
and the search goes on and drains your strength --
you waste the best part of your day.
Don't let this be misunderstood --
there are things to be said for length --
But if you are to spill your blood
upon the page in a manic fit,
don't make others sift through your mud.
Please, I beg: CLEAN UP YOUR SHIT!
We've started upon a poetry unit for the writing class, so I just had to "spill some blood" upon the page and see what happened. Well, I have. Now I think I can go and write some real poetry.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-10 08:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-10 09:19 pm (UTC)And I didn't write all the poems with eyes closed, just the first one (but you could probably tell because on the others there aren't any typos).