Michael Allyn Wells

Friday, October 07, 2005

The Will to Tinker

Wednesday night I was at a workshop that was sponsored by the KC Public Library & Branching Out. The two poets conducting the workshop were Glenn North and Stacey Tolbert.

The workshop was worthwhile. I especially enjoyed North's poetry that was shared at the event. However, what I really wanted to focus on here was something that Stacey Tolbert recommended to me in an one-on-one break-out session.

We were looking at a poem of mine that had been written some time back. I had several with me and the one I chose for this purpose was a poem that won second place in a statewide contest earlier this year. As it turned out, I think this was an especially good selection. I suspect we all have pieces that we get so strongly attached to that we have a hard time messing with them any further. For the purpose of this post I'll call it a poem we are married to. It has that special attachment that you just don't want to think about rewriting anymore. Anyway... This was clearly a poem that I was married to. We all have them. Probably several. The fact that it did well in a contest even adds to the dilemma. You already have reached a point that you have stopped rewriting it. You sent it off. If was published or recognized in contest or both. This has now compounded the matter. You thought it was finally what you wanted. Then, someone else validates your feeling that this is really great. Then someone in a workshop says, "What if..."

Well, this is two days later and I am exploring the notion that it might not really be so sacrilegious to take her advise. So starting tomorrow, I'm going to look at this same poem from a different perspective. Each day for the next week, I am going to look at trying to say the same thing differently.

Stacey for example thought the two last lines of the poem were so powerful. But she wondered for example what would happen if instead of ending the poem with them, I chose to start with those two lines. Well, I don't know how I'll feel abut what I have five days from now, but I will look at each day creating one new version of this same poem.

poetry

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Senate sets standards on detainees / Lawmakers defy Bush to overwhelmingly OK McCain bill in response to Abu Ghraib

Senate sets standards on detainees / Lawmakers defy Bush to overwhelmingly OK McCain bill in response to Abu Ghraib

In a very profound move yesterday - the U.S. Senate voted 90 - 9 to prohibit "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in US government custody, regardless of where they are held.

The nine dissenting votes were all Republicans.

They Are:
Allard (R-CO)
Bond (R-MO)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Stevens (R-AK)

This of course would require House action too and the President may well veto it, but it is none the less a tremendous victory for human decency none the less. Of course I am outraged that Senator Kit Bond of my home state was among those that are STILL clueless.

Torture Human Rights War Bush Kit Bond

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

So Many Super Heroes - So Little Time

People are forever coming to this blog in search of super heroes. If I had a dime... well you know the rest.

Another interesting google search brought someone to this site with the following search parameters: philippines super hero

So I'm wondering if they were looking for Gabriela. Hee he-
Eileen, Whatcha think?

I Be Schroeder

You are Schroeder!

Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I was so thinking it would be Snoop Or Woodstock. Don't ask me why.

Poetry Day - Verse in Space - Blurbs - I'm so Confused & Haiku Problem

Yes, I know we have National Poetry Month and all the hoop-la that goes with it, but tomorrow those Brits are going to be All About Poetry. It makes a poet here in the U.S. just a wee bit jealous. Check out some of what is going on this week in England at the Poetry Society web site.

Amid a number of other activities there is the Poem of Space Poll. Actually - you can vote on this even if you aren't from the British Isles... Launch Poems

Back to the good old USA - If you haven't seen the things they are saying about Eileen.. You gotta go check out the BLURBS. ONE HUNDRED... and counting! I think I see a Guinness book of world Blurbs Records coming.

Reading Ivy's latest post, I am so confused about who she is. But wait- I'm confused about who I am too!

I feel like saying a whole lot more, but I'm at a loss - So I guess I'll finish off this thought:

The only problem
with Haiku is that you just
get started and then
~Roger McGough