What was Allen about? Everyone is about something. Allen was about a person with a confused mind, (writing things from outer space: where he lived)
Yet knowing very little about what he was writing about (so I do believe); to be blunt, I doubt he cared one way or another what it was all about, as long as he got his bows in!
The old man, at 71, shit in his pants, perhaps had too much fat and salt in his diet; screwed too many young boys in the buttocks; perhaps it caused his heart and liver and lungs to weaken.
He wrote many things, poetry he called it, “Howl,” dramatic it was, but poetry it was not; perhaps just a bunch of howling, negative thoughts.
He wrote “Empty Mirrors,” poetry that was poetry, to any listening ears (when he was very young).
On his death bed (1997), he called all his friends, not sure what he had to say to them, perhaps, a simply “Goodbye, farewell;” he did believe he was his own god, and so I’m sure he built his own heaven, somewhere in hell.
During those last days, he was populous—he couldn’t jack-off anymore, it was limp, a limp prick…! That is what he left the living: live by the sword, die by the sword.
I wonder if he’d like to live in the slime he wrote, if so, it will coke him to death in haven…! In Hell, it will do well….
#1251 2/27/06
Note: What you have read is the surface of my feelings towards a poet's poetry; but the problem of his poetry goes deeper (I am not trying to diminish any respectable reader's pleasure in Ginsberg's work ): but I do believe Ginsberg is by far the founder of Babel, incomprehensible, and his poetry meaningless. His poem Kaddish, like so many of his poems, is a piece of prose of assertions of the author being possessed; an obsession, confession, and he keeps talking as if he wants to build up a power house of excitment. I fear if that is what he thinks it takes to get the horse moving, it isn't much. This kind of writng allows you to go on forever saying nothing, line after line after stanza. Sounds like a woodpicker. Because the poet says it's true, doesn't make it so.
See Dennis' web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com
Article Source: ezinearticles.comWhat to Search
Poetry falls just short of celebrities, spam, porn and Internet marketing in the vast continuum of cyber-space searches. That means poetry is surprisingly popular on the Internet. Finding a poetry community to share your works won't be an overly difficult task; however, finding one that fits your specific aim can get you feeling as though you are a character in the not-yet made movie, "Lost in Cyberspace."
There are several types of forums for different types of poets.
The Show-and-Tell
If you are not particularly interested in having your work dissected by the serious critique forum, but you'd like to share your poetic experiences, perhaps you should look for a show-and-tell. These are communities where the members will give casual feedback on poetry, and usually, the feedback is heavily centered on the theme of the poem rather than the process of the poem.
The Hard-Core Critique
If you aren't prepared or experienced in getting serious critique on your poetry, you might be taken aback by these types of forums. The members will give you their honest thoughts on your piece, and you'll soon find out that a first time post rarely yields strictly positive comments.
A good critique forum will have members who read a lot of poetry and actually know what to look for in a good piece. These folks will comment on your structure, internal rhyme, general rhyme, awkward wording, abstract and concrete imagery, and your overall cohesion. You don't have to blindly follow the members' advice, but arguing and rationalizing the flaws in your poem will get you nowhere. Also, keep in mind, that a good critic will also point out the strengths in a poem, so it isn't all that scary.
Also, your poem might go unnoticed until you give a few well-thought comments on other members' poems. People can sometimes be apprehensive about giving a good critique to a poem until they know how that person critiques a poem.
The Ghost Town Forum
You probably won't want to join this forum, but it can have it's benefits. A "Ghost Town" forum is a forum that doesn't seem to have very many members. "What," you may ask, "could possibly be the benefit of this?" Well, it's a clean slate. If you know of other poets who have the same aim as you, you can invite them to the forum. You can lead discussions and critiques in a style that will benefit those who do have the same aim as you.
Also, some "ghost towns" are actually very new. Some of them might quickly shoot up in popularity, and if you decide to stay with the forum, you can oftentimes build long-time relationships with the members.
The Ego Trough
There are forums out there where the sole purpose seems to give other poets a pat on the back. No, wait, where the poets are searching for pats on the back. It might feel pretty good to post your poem on a forum and get a response such as "Wow, this is so great. You're talented. I can so relate to this." Keep in mind that there is usually very minimal feedback going on in these forums, and a lot of times, it seems that the praise is generated in hopes of having someone come back and praise their own poems.
Some of these "Ego Troughs" were created by poets who were hoping to showcase their own poetry. For many, poetry is the ultimate expression of the soul, so the fact that people are hoping to garner a plethora of praise is understandable. The benefit of such a forum is that it can make you feel good about yourself, and it can help you to gain the confidence you want in order to move forward with your poetry. The consequence is that you might never develop the actual art and process of writing a good poem.
The No Spell-ums 4ums
There are some forums out there that seem to be developed by the youth of cyberspace. Unless you are a teenager (and even then), I really don't see much use of these kinds of forums. These are the forums where even the poetry uses that new-fangled text-speak. Responses to these poems are even in text-speak, you know, "Ur so gr8!" I cringe at the idea of a poem that uses that kind of language, unless it is a parody or something.
I suppose poetry is relative, and even poetry spans the meaning and spelling of words.
The Bottom Line
Before posting your poetry in a poetry forum, lurk around a bit. Also, the very first thing you should do is determine what you really want to get out of a poetry forum. If you are really uber serious about developing your work, perhaps you should search for a closed community, but email the moderator and ask a lot of questions before jumping in. You can join one of those closed communities before posting your work, too. Check out the site and look at the things the other members are saying.
Here is a final list of things to consider when searching for a community:
Every person has secrets that only he or she knows, secrets that are not shared with anyone, not even the most intimate friends, partners, even soul mates. These secrets may be righteous or sinister, yet for reasons, often unknown, they are never revealed to any other person. These, the writer should explore in his or her writing.
These secrets can be an important part of any writer’s self-examination and can be revealing, even therapeutic, because they can be used in poetry to add depth and passion to verse composition; they can be used in novels to develop memorable characters; they can be used in articles to add life and interest to the topic; they can be used in any writing to make it unique and engaging, without endangering the writer’s privacy.
Make secrets part of characters in short stories and novels; give fantasies a role in the characters created, and they will come to life with an energy and nuance never believed possible. Thus, they will become unforgettable and intriguing to readers.
So, what are these secrets?
They are the writer’s deepest desires, fears, pleasures, and joys. They become the roots of poetry or prose.
They enrich writing and fill it with fascination. Use them!
Charles O. Goulet has a BA in history and a BEd in English literature. He has written several historical novels that are available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble, and many other bookstores.
Charles O. Goulet
RR 1
Evansburg, AB
T0E 0T0
go1c@telusplanet.net
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