Thank you, you wonderful members of the Pen

[ellajam]

IRL, I am old enough to have learned how to (mostly) surround myself with people who have long left the drama behind and just want to enjoy the ride, and to just ignore the grumps.

Modding an internet site has burst my bubble. It amazes how many people cannot maneuver calmly through three moderated posts. I used to PM to explain deleted posts but the majority of responses were either nasty or nonexistent, it made me question the civility of people in general, so I stopped.

So I just want you to understand how special you all are, people who can work so long and hard to create something interesting and then invite fellow members to poke it till it bleeds, knowing the result will be increased confidence in the work, edited or not.

Thank you for thinking about what others have to say and responding in a civil and friendly manner. Thank you for your keen sense of humor and your ability to let the little shit slide. Thank you for the way you welcome new members, giving them the same time and effort as people who've hung around here for years and given their time and effort to you. Thank you for understanding that our mods and admin are humans, imperfect but with the health of this precious site at the heart of our actions.

You are a wonderful bunch who keep me interested in what you express and how you do it, and keep me smiling.



To anyone who would like to join in, register and read around the site a while, it's not that hard to jump in and all you need to do if you need help is to ask for it.

[Leanne]

Yes they are, and yes you are. This is beyond a doubt my favourite corner of internettery.

[billy]

i so want tp preen right now ...

i'm just glad we have the mods and members we do have, and it's nice to spread a bit of love around

[QDeathstar]

Oh, your welcome.

Sincerly,
Single-handed savior of the forums, the big P.

[QDeathstar]

btw, I do have two hands, ment single handed as just me, if that wasn't clear. ok? Cool.

[ellajam]

btw, I do have two hands, ment single handed as just me, if that wasn't clear. ok? Cool.

[RiverNotch]

Ah, yes. The Sibyllity of this place is truly one of its treasures -- where else in the internet will the leaves speak to you, tell you whether you are destined to be a poet or not?

[ellajam]

Ah, yes. The Sibyllity of this place is truly one of its treasures -- where else in the internet will the leaves speak to you, tell you whether you are destined to be a poet or not?

Or, just take you as you are, destiny be damned.

[ellajam]

Today, again, I love this site. There is some diligent and brave editing going on, some really fine new work being posted, poems that will take some serious time to critique. And the goofy fun has been cracking me up.

Cheers, guys, a fine day to be a piggie.

[Leanne]

I loves the pigs.

[just mercedes]

Awwwww. I'm not pulling my weight lately I know. But I will. I'm happy to share the mud with such a fine drift of pigs.

[Leanne]

Your weight is quite sufficient whenever you apply it

Nobody is "on" all the time. That would be exhausting.

[UselessBlueprint]

Still getting into this place, finding the footholds, visiting every day or so, even if just to read. No poems to contribute now -- I've just restarted a series of sonnets that might take a while, as writing them conflicts with work and programming time. Nevertheless, I find the discussions here to be just as enjoyable to read and partake in.

[Vanity]

?I just wanted to say that I'm happy to be a newbie here, thanks for including me. I appreciate all your efforts and I'm enjoying browsing around this site. I'm afraid it's harder and harder to find poets anymore....

[ellajam]

Still getting into this place, finding the footholds, visiting every day or so, even if just to read. No poems to contribute now -- I've just restarted a series of sonnets that might take a while, as writing them conflicts with work and programming time. Nevertheless, I find the discussions here to be just as enjoyable to read and partake in.

I've had the same experience. Even when I'm not actively working on a piece of my own, working with other members and reading the discussions about their work keeps my finger in. It's so interesting reading all the different views of the same piece, it reminds me how important each word choice is.

[ellajam]

Leanne wrote:

I apologise if this reply seems harsh to you, but I assure you, I would not waste time on a writer I didn't feel had great potential.There are a lot of bad habits kicking around the poetry world these days and it would be lovely to see the good people rise above them.

The full critique that came before this can be found here, but it got me thinking about how this applies to us all, from both sides of the fence.

We would not take the time to read, organize our thoughts and reply to the poems posted here if we didn't feel that the OP had the potential to absorb and possibly gain something from our comments, and I have found that the writers that come and stay a while do seem to be able to rise at least a bit from where we were yesterday, and some soar. It's a slow process but worth the time spent, again from both sides.

So thank you all for making the pen what it is: a yeasty, sometimes stinky, place to stir the brew.  

[ellajam]

Here is an example of why I keep falling in love with this site. We have a newb who offered their critiques to members, then posted a piece requesting intensive critique. By the next day two members have given the piece enough time and thought to post interesting and thorough critiques with sometimes opposing views. No sheep here, no following the thumbs up, thumbs down parade but a community of thinking people willing to express and share their experience with the poem.

So, again, thank you, members of the PigPen, for making this a site I love to read. That's a lot of commas.

P.S. Hey, Ray, I just noticed the Fauxku Choo Choo has made 1500 stops. Great job distracting me from actual work, thanks.

[ellajam]

So, another day when light shines on the pigpen, another day when I read a poem and just move on, then read a response to it that opens my mind and the poem.

Thank you, members of the pen, for your receptiveness to ideas different from your own and genuine willingness to help each poem be its best, for your playfulness and serious thought.

We're an odd bunch, but sometimes that works to our advantage.