Poetry Lines Options

[Guest_Jox_*]

Poetry Lines

The poet scrawled in his note:
Words don’t matter anymore.

------------------------------------------------
Copyright, etc
Ref: PF 206-AC

======================================

Poetry Lines (Ver AB)

The poet scrawled in his note:
Words don’t matter any more.

-------------------------------------------------

[Guest_jayjay_*]

James.  
Two lines filled with despair.  
Two thoughts on it;
   1. I hope the poet isn't you.
   2. I think it is a common reaction, from time to time, of all poets/writers.



JJ

[Guest_Toumai_*]

Good morning James (I hope).

I heartily concur with JJ.
Unless you are now a deconstructed poet (or whatever the term would be) from reading too much philosophy in the early hours?

In love and peace,  
Fran

[Cleo_Serapis]

Now James!

What brought this on?

P.S. as a nit - I would make anymore one word....  

The poet scrawled in his note:
"Why'st was it this I doth wrote?"

hugs!
Lori  

[Guest_Jox_*]

Good Morning all.

JJ, Thanks...

No not me - you'll not get away that lightly; have another six million words already planned for MM this week. But thanks for the kind consideration, nonetheless.

This is actually your fault! :) Your minimalism drove me to this. Thanks!

Fran, Thanks also.

Thanks also for the concern. The deconstructed philosophy is clever... I'd been reading about minimal messages with maximum interpretability. This was an experimental attempt..

I don’t know what it means...

Is it a suicide note?
It is certainly a philosophical contradiction (as you indicate and what sparked it off in me)... For how can s/he still be a poet if words no longer matter? Moreover, If words don’t matter, this note is meaningless and so on...

Thanks for your perception.

Lori.. Thank U2.

I thought you were wrong because my spell checker didn't glitch at "any," nor "more." But, of course, on second thoughts, it wouldn't! So I put "anymore" in and it remained smiling (it's irritating like that). Therefore, despite that fact that in 46 years I don't seem to have heard of, nor used, the word "anymore," via your kind advice it is now proudly installed in version AC.

Thanks for the re-joiner, too.

What brought this on... well, I’m really tempted to reply in great detail again but I’ve mentioned it to Fran already. So I’ll just say thanks for the kind message; appreciated and toodlepip.

JJ...
Words, I did warn you. I only had to thank you all!

[Guest_Toumai_*]

 Various words have indeed sprung to mind, James, but none are particulary poetic and Lori would have to scold me if I used them.
What philosophical considerations brought this snippet into being?
Fran

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Fran,

Thanks very much for your kind concern. (And to JJ).

Well...

We all talk about the power of words and minimalism is in discussion. I wondered to what minimal extent one could go but still have a poem discussing various issues.

As I said, in my previous reply, there are different interpretations...

A suicide note.
A diary.
A note to a friend.

etc etc

But, also, there are the philosophical contradictions -

What is wrriting?
What is poetry?
What meaning has poetry?
Can just a few words be portry?
Can just a few words say anything?
What about the various contradictions which are involved (I mentioned these above)..

  If words no longer matter has the poem any meaning?
  If the poem has a meaning - then surely words do matter.

etc.

Worth thinking about anyway.

Thanks again,

James.

[Guest_Cathy_*]

Hi James!  I'm certainly glad to hear this was just an experiment of yours.  I read this last night and didn't comment cause I wasn't sure what to say.  I thought I'd sleep on it and comment this morning but I see quite a few others already have.  I was glad to read your explanation and see that this didn't refer to you.  I was worried for a while!  I see the point you're trying to make and for a two-liner the possibilities are endless!

Cathy  :reindeer:  :xmas:

[Guest_Jox_*]

Cathy, JJ, Fran and Lori.

Thank you also for your kind words.

It is really good to see how many kind and caring friends one has on MM; I'm most touched.

Oops!

It also seems as if I owe you all an apology... I never meant this to seem as if it was me; I never thought it might be - another interpretation which I missed.

I don't actually think of myself as a poet so the link never occurred to me at all.

Sorry to have caused concerned and thank you all again. It was an error that I seem to have given the impression which I obviously did. However, your reaction does mean a lot to me.

J.

[Guest_Cathy_*]

I think we all consider everyone as our MM family and we all care.

Cathy  :lovie:

[Guest_Nina_*]

Hi James

firstly I'm glad the poet isn't you and secondly you write  poetry therefore you are a poet.

It is fascinating how two short sentences can be so thought provoking.  Thank you.

My interpretation of this poem is that it isn't a suicide note.  He isn't despairing for himself but for a society around him which no longer cares about the beauty or power of words.  A society where violence rather than discussion is the solution.

Nina

[Guest_Toumai_*]

Why am I trying to write a novel when two lines can say so much?

Hm ...

Ah, I remember, because poetry forces people to think and most people really don't want to think. At least not about anything that matters.

So if I take 100,000 words to explain it all to them they will (in my dreams, lol) PAY me.

Strange world ...

Thank you, James.

[Guest__*]

Dear Jox,

Now how's this for a mind-teaser ? I offer 2 ripostes (short for rip-off posts) :

TO POE

The raven quothèd to his Poe
Words matter ? Never more !

or the exact opposite !

NOT TO POE

The raven quothèd to his Poe
Words matter ? Nevermore !

Alan McAlpine Douglas

Love
Alan

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Alan,

The meanings are simple - and the same in each -

The POEt is raven mad!

James.

[Guest_Jox_*]

Nina, hi

Thanks for your visit.

Thank you for calling me a poet. I think I should apply for a passport so I can put that in where is requires what one is / does.

>>It is fascinating how two short sentences can be so thought provoking.  Thank you.

Thanks forr your thanks - much appreciated.

Yes, that is what made me write these. JJ was being brilliantly minimalist and I wondered how far one could go but (I hoped) still say something meaningful. This has surprised me, too.

>>My interpretation of this poem is that it isn't a suicide note.  He isn't despairing for himself but for a society around him which no longer cares about the beauty or power of words.  A society where violence rather than discussion is the solution.

Now that is something I didn't think of... my turn to be grateful to you. That is tremendous, Nina. I wonder if that is, indeed, what the poet meant. Not that it matters, as such, because it is a most interesting angle which you have suggested, regardless of what the poet thought.

Thanks Nina, James.

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Fran,

>>Why am I trying to write a novel when two lines can say so much?

Thank you very much.

Oops, was that a multiple-choice:

a) Because I want to.
b) Because I have run out of good books to read.
c) Because I want to be a rich novelist, not a poor poet.
d) All of these, except d.

>>Hm ... Ah, I remember, because poetry forces people to think and most people really I don't want to think. At least not about anything that matters.

Some novels do make us think though - Catch 22; 1984; Brave New World etc

>>So if I take 100,000 words to explain it all to them they will (in my dreams, lol) PAY me.

A much better bet than writing poetry. Though poetry seems to have a better readership, on the whole. Then again, readers of poetry read novels.

>>Strange world ...

Really? Anyway I must get back to my Mills & Boon romance between a panda and his bamboo supplier, "Giants don't grass on me." Who needs poems?

>>Thank you, James.

My pleasure. Thank you, Fran.

[Guest_Nina_*]

ho ho ho, great multiple choice questions James.  They really cheered me up.

As for novels, I would be lost without them, only I stick to children's/teenage fiction rather than Mills and Boon.  You should see the pile of books I have perched beside me.   Some of it is also very thought provoking.  Try reading Malorie Blackman's Noughts and Crosses, and education in racism.

Nina

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Nina,

Very pleased to hear they cheered you.

I do find racism so depressing. It really is so very stupid.

Then again, we foster tribalism - eg sports contests.

It is a fairly sophisticasted thing to say that our country's team represents those who live in our country, not our particular tribe. So, for us to be able to do that indicates quite a high level of intelligent integration it seems to me.

However, when pressures occur things can too easily snap. The obvious example is ex Yugoslavia where the combined culture so tragically fragmented along ethnic lines. Then again, I doubt the British Normans will be fighting the British Vikings and the British Angles. I suppose time and integration weave a certain magic. All anti-racism can do is to speed that effect greatly.

Then again, much racism is unseen... the daily abuse in some areas beggers belief. One wonders how much is due to the abusers having a too small steak in society and how much to pure evil and how much to biological tribalism.

Fascinating questions. You'll have to let us know what you think of the book when you've finished.

I suppose if the poet was the victim of racism he might, indeed, wonder what the point of words was. Simply fight with brawn, not brain. understandable.

James.