Editorial: Fighting terrorism by cheating justice
I recommend reading this editorial.
Stickpoet
Thursday, March 16, 2006
A Sorry Example of Sociology
A blister, given rise
Plump with anticipation
And between events.
A beginning and an end
That really is not,
But explanation reeks.
We copy to paper
With no thought given
But a man’s DNA,
That's another splinter
Inflamed in redness,
Taut, and mimicking
An ear on a cold day.
Go ahead, Cry foul.
Cry wolf.
Cry at the drop
Of a Stetson.
Cry in vain.
Cry out
With no remorse.
Tears beat a path to your door
And you let them in. Why?
A sorry example of sociology
At best. Another way
To pound the dent out
Of love wrecked
On the corner of indifference.
A time when I called
And the voice of reply was mine,
The explanation reeks too
And we won't talk about it.
Just like the DNA
We fear the complexity
Reaches beyond linear travel
Or comfort.
Plump with anticipation
And between events.
A beginning and an end
That really is not,
But explanation reeks.
We copy to paper
With no thought given
But a man’s DNA,
That's another splinter
Inflamed in redness,
Taut, and mimicking
An ear on a cold day.
Go ahead, Cry foul.
Cry wolf.
Cry at the drop
Of a Stetson.
Cry in vain.
Cry out
With no remorse.
Tears beat a path to your door
And you let them in. Why?
A sorry example of sociology
At best. Another way
To pound the dent out
Of love wrecked
On the corner of indifference.
A time when I called
And the voice of reply was mine,
The explanation reeks too
And we won't talk about it.
Just like the DNA
We fear the complexity
Reaches beyond linear travel
Or comfort.
Thursday Briefs
- Kudos to Eileen Tabios, Editor and the other contributors to the first issue of Galatea Resurrects! [click here]
- Happy Birthday to Ivy !
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Point of View
An article by Henry Stimpson in P&W Magazine (March / April - 2006) gives us a glimpse of the poet Franz Wright which I was intrigued by for several reasons, but most importantly because Franz has achieved success outside the realm of academia.
Franz wrote in the shadow of his father's success, although his contact with his father while growing up was limited. In the article, Franz relates writing a poem at the age of 15 and mailing it off to his father. His father reportedly wrote back something like, "I'll be damned, you're a poet. Welcome to hell."
Genetics aside, both achieved a Pulitzer for poetry - I believe the only father and son combination to do so, but the paths both too to such success differ. James Wright was educated at Kenyon College where literary arts were the order of the Day. Franz however achieved his success working outside the academic structure. It is perhaps this facet that I find most interesting. While I am not a critic of academia for the sake if itself, I find refreshing hope in the fact that one can achieve such a respected level of success in the art of poetry outside of its realm.
Both father and son battled mental health issues. Franz has spent a great deal of energy in his later life focusing on poetry as a way to help those isolated and alone in their illness as he once was. In the P&W article he spoke frankly about the path he took. "Let's face it, somebody has to write from outside academia. I got my ass kicked in this world, but I got something out of it. I think I have a sense of the way people live on the outside that I wouldn't trade." This reflects a point of view that I can identify with both as a writer and a consumer of poetry.
tags: Poetry Franz Wright academia Literature Mental Health
Franz wrote in the shadow of his father's success, although his contact with his father while growing up was limited. In the article, Franz relates writing a poem at the age of 15 and mailing it off to his father. His father reportedly wrote back something like, "I'll be damned, you're a poet. Welcome to hell."
Genetics aside, both achieved a Pulitzer for poetry - I believe the only father and son combination to do so, but the paths both too to such success differ. James Wright was educated at Kenyon College where literary arts were the order of the Day. Franz however achieved his success working outside the academic structure. It is perhaps this facet that I find most interesting. While I am not a critic of academia for the sake if itself, I find refreshing hope in the fact that one can achieve such a respected level of success in the art of poetry outside of its realm.
Both father and son battled mental health issues. Franz has spent a great deal of energy in his later life focusing on poetry as a way to help those isolated and alone in their illness as he once was. In the P&W article he spoke frankly about the path he took. "Let's face it, somebody has to write from outside academia. I got my ass kicked in this world, but I got something out of it. I think I have a sense of the way people live on the outside that I wouldn't trade." This reflects a point of view that I can identify with both as a writer and a consumer of poetry.
tags: Poetry Franz Wright academia Literature Mental Health
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Monday, March 13, 2006
Safe from harms way...
The weekend brought with it another trip to Lawrence, Kansas where my daughter rode in two cycling events. A prolog (a time trial) and then later a Crit. The weather was windy but not rainy as it had been the week before. Meghan did much better. I was impressed that she seemed to keep her laps on the Crit pretty consistent as I timed her.
My wife put in long hours volunteering at the event. We were all tired by the time we got home.
Little did we know how fortunate we were for Saturdays weather and not Sundays as severe weather pounded parts of Kansas and Missouri Sunday. The KU campus is closed today with major parts of the campus having some damage to the structures.
Sunday, we rounded up all the pets and headed for the basement as tornado warnings sounded near our home. We were all safe, suffered no damage, but it put a bit of a crimp in some of the chores I had planned. None the less, I still got a lot done, though little work on poetry. I did journal extensively.
Saturdays mail brought with it a rejection letter on two of the poems I had out. They are both strong pieces of work and I am not too dismayed, they will go right back out. I'll find the right venue for them yet.
With that I'll close with a couple of quotes on critics of writing....
Critics are like eunuchs in a harem: they know how it's done,they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves. - Brendan Francis Behan
Asking a working writer what he feels about critics is like asking a lamp-post what it feels about dogs. - John Osborne
tag: critics rejection letter storms tornado
My wife put in long hours volunteering at the event. We were all tired by the time we got home.
Little did we know how fortunate we were for Saturdays weather and not Sundays as severe weather pounded parts of Kansas and Missouri Sunday. The KU campus is closed today with major parts of the campus having some damage to the structures.
Sunday, we rounded up all the pets and headed for the basement as tornado warnings sounded near our home. We were all safe, suffered no damage, but it put a bit of a crimp in some of the chores I had planned. None the less, I still got a lot done, though little work on poetry. I did journal extensively.
Saturdays mail brought with it a rejection letter on two of the poems I had out. They are both strong pieces of work and I am not too dismayed, they will go right back out. I'll find the right venue for them yet.
With that I'll close with a couple of quotes on critics of writing....
Critics are like eunuchs in a harem: they know how it's done,they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves. - Brendan Francis Behan
Asking a working writer what he feels about critics is like asking a lamp-post what it feels about dogs. - John Osborne
tag: critics rejection letter storms tornado
The start of something small
calendarlive.com: The start of something small
Susan Salter Reynolds, LA Times staff writer reviews a new book Edgar Allan Poe & the Juke-Box: Uncollected Poems, Drafts, and Fragments.
According the Reynolds, this book is best suited for true fans of the poet Elizabeth Bishop. People already quite familiar with her work.
Susan Salter Reynolds, LA Times staff writer reviews a new book Edgar Allan Poe & the Juke-Box: Uncollected Poems, Drafts, and Fragments.
According the Reynolds, this book is best suited for true fans of the poet Elizabeth Bishop. People already quite familiar with her work.
tags: poetry Elizabeth Bishop poet review
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