mckay@princeton.UUCP (08/06/83)
Well, well. After the long discussions slamming the usual contributions
as "drivel", I notice the volume of original contributions has dropped
drastically. As a matter of fact, my last few "readnews -n net.poems"
have yielded silence. Which is better, drivel or silence? Personally,
I vote for drivel. As has been mentioned before by numerous netlanders
on countless subjects, drivel can easily be transformed into silence by
judicious use of your "n" key. To facilitate this, I shall start
submitting to this newsgroup again, but I shall put "by M.V.Taylor" in the
subject so the lack of quality in my work need not offend anyone.
Yes, I admit it, I was one of the first scared off this group by the
criticism. But it's time we heard from the other side of the debate.
I have great tolerance for drivel. (Probably the fact that I produce so
much has something to do with this.) I even *gasp* find it interesting,
often downright enjoyable. I do not read original submissions on this group
expecting to discover a new Wordsworth or Robert Frost. If I do, I consider
myself *extremely* lucky because in this day and age, that person will almost
certainly never be published, and this may be my only chance to enjoy their
work. What I read the "normal drivel" for is a chance to get to know
something personal and interesting about the author. Even poetry which is
"drivel" has much more content in terms of personal emotion, belief, and
the like, than many newsgroups. Since I find people fascinating, I enjoy
reading their poetry and feel honored to be invited into their confidence
in this way. It was only two years ago that I finally consented to let
anyone at all read any of my poetry ("and what a shame that you did", I
hear the critics say) because so much of it has special personal meaning
for me. I do not write poems to become a famous poet. I write poems to
express myself, and I have reason to believe that occasionally, I express
something someone else has also felt or experienced. This may not be good
poetry, but I maintain it is also not valueless.
From the tattered poetry collection
and bizarre brain of
Mary V. Taylor
(ulysses,allegra)!princeton!mckaytjj@ssc-vax.UUCP (T J Jardine) (08/09/83)
Bravo, Mary, Bravo!! I would much rather have someone express their ideas, emotions, and feelings with poetry, since this medium permits more flexibility. Keep writing when you wish to do so, and share that with us as you see fit. Most critics who use a flame-thrower wouldn't be able to write half a line of decent poetry according to their own standards anyway. And folks like myself are always out there to appreciate whatever you have to offer. Keep up the good work. Ted Jardine TJ (with Amazing Grace) The Piper ssc-vax!tjj