A can of worms

[abu nuwas]

I think you misunderstand me....time and effort are not the point at issue - skill, expertise, experience, acquired knowledge - call it what you will - is what I admire and delight in seeing in a finished poem.

I am who I am - I like things which are done well. I cannot feel comfortable with my own work if it is slap-dash....it does have a back-lash, though - since sometimes I over-work stuff and the original spark gets lost, but, mostly attention to detail does pay dividends.

In music a young person may show promise, but it is a rare thing for that to blossom without the acquisition of skill.

ps I like 'slap-dash' and 'back-lash' I may squirrel that away!

Of course I do not seek to change you, Jill, that would be daft.

There are many things one enjoys, which one has no idea how the are made: this lap-top, for example. Perhaps I would appreciate it in a different way, if I understood its workings, but ultimately, its attraction is that it does things I want. If I look at some Old Master, I like it , or I don't--it will not help to know that it is one of the earliest paintings to use cobalt. But there is a secondary, and quite separate interest and appreciation of the craftsmanship.

As for back-lash etc, you also, perhaps appropriately here, can have 'balderdash', and even cheat with the Russian 'karandash' (pencil) derived from French 'crayon d'ache'.