Writing poetry is the most pretentious thing in the world
#1
I sit at my desk and dip my quill 
in the blood of a Kardashian 
to remind the world that when you're famous,
haters exist only to tear you apart
and spread you across the internet
for a small subscription and a lasting
erection.  I tried for the Royal Family,
but their blood is weak and pale.

I sit at my desk because a mobile device 
is Plebeian, and my fingers are not 
designed for jabbing bluntly. Every stab
I make must penetrate, if only my page, if only
enraging the old writers upon whose backs I lean,
strokes scoring their leather as they hide
beneath their filthy verse.  A few curses escape,
but Larkin was never Laureate, so nobody cares.

From time to time I think I should 
do something to highlight my non-conformity, 
so i drop all my capital letters and punctuation and joinsomewordstogetherand

space



things 




out
because there's nothing worse than a cliche,
as the saying goes.  Phenomenal.

I don't do it for the glory, though glory
would surely be mine if only people weren't 
so ignorant, so eager to follow the trends
of the time.  Rhyme is for jingles and 
saving the jungles and yes, perhaps my 
metaphor is denser than most but I am dark
and deeper too.  I have things to say that you
should hear, that you should fear, that some
have said before but never quite as well as I, 
for I am not some college bore -- no!  I have 
lived and seen things, done things, eaten lunch
and ridden trains and broken vases,
I've been places.  I've run out of ink.

My nib is wearing down and I 
blunted my pen knife long ago
on a publisher's heart.  Even pointless,
it is enough to open a vein, but no-one
is here but myself.  

There is no blood, no ink,
just air.
It could be worse
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#2
Heh. Love it. Best thing I've read in a while (esp the title). Thanks for the read Leanne!
_______________________________________
The howling beast is back.
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#3
Oh my. To end with hot air. Ouch. Too close to the truth, you.
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#4
Completely autobiographical  Wink
It could be worse
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#5
the title should be an internet meme.

can't beat a desktop keyboard. some clever stuff in there,
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#6
This was wonderful! I especially liked "though glory would be mine if only people weren't so ignorant." And "I have things to say that you should hear, that you should fear, that some have said before but never quite as well as I."
The Soufflé isn’t the soufflé; the soufflé is the recipe. --Clara 
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#7
Glorious. I'd totally love it if it didn't feel like I was the one being made fun of.

~Kim
~ I think I just quoted myself - Achebe
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#8
Sorry Kim, but never fear -- there's an erection coming up soon.
It could be worse
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#9
... the old writers upon whose backs I lean,
strokes scoring their leather as they hide
beneath their filthy verse.


is beautiful, Leanne.
If I want to experience permoban
I'll plagiarise the above.
Love
Kim (Pyongyang).
~ I think I just quoted myself - Achebe
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#10
This I love
not with admiration but
with sympathy,

coz' I just love hating on people
who are this close to being myself ----


But now the question is, when is a poet truly genuine? Better still, a /famous/ one --- really, the only one I can think of is Dickinson, but she's the only poet I know of who, however seriously she took the art, never (seemed --- I don't unfortunately own her complete works, only the stuff heavily edited by her peers) analyzed herself to this degree, nor fully enjoyed any sense of, er, popularity? inauthenticity? That thing in between.

And the second question for me is does this truly apply to the author /now/? Because surely with age comes, er, blindness? wisdom? Again, that thing in between. And I know Leanne isn't as young as, well, me ----- that is, judging by her level of insight, plus the occasional look around the site.

Oh, and if there are any young, still-living, still available poets who fit the first question's criterion (although, if you're a member of this site, that's highly unlikely at this point), fancy a date? xD


But leaving all these first thoughts and first jokes behind, damn, this piece really hit me. I'm feeling that need for an editor again ------ oh, and a girlfriend.
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#11
Completely love this...YAAAASss

"Why do you suppose we only feel compelled to chase the ones who run away?" -Vicomte de Valmont, Dangerous Liasons
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