I'm pleased that I have two poems in Issue 4 of Home Planet News Online. Many thanks to the good people at HPN.
It's tempting to say I first wrote "The Gray Hills Beyond" many years ago as an undergraduate, but so much of the poem has changed that it's more accurate to say that I conceived of its structure those long lost years gone by. Judson Jerome, who wrote a monthly column for Writer's Digest in those days, said he liked it--back then, I called the poem "Lunch"--but passed on publishing it in Cedar Rock. Over the years--I often play around with my old poems for ideas--both the beginning & the end have changed, so too the middle. Pretty much the same could be said of me physically, heh.
"The Devil's Playbook" came about as an experiment of sorts. I've always maintained that a poem can be about anything, that no topic is off-limits, yet I began to question how much I practice that. I tend to compartmentalize: some ideas are for my blog, some are for friends, some for the classroom, some for poems & so forth. But why? Can't I put in a poem the kinds of things I'd post on my blog, talk about in a classroom, or say in conversation? While there may be valid reasons--some pragmatic, some personal--why I might decide not to write about a particular subject in a poem (or talk about or post in my blog, for that matter), the idea is not to allow a preconceived idea that I've subconsciously constructed from the study of poetry to dictate what subject--& subsequently, style & language--is acceptable for the unwritten poem. Of course, some may argue, given that my poetry is already marked by unconventionality, that perhaps this isn't the best route for me to pursue, that perhaps I should instead pay stricter attention to my clucking, anal retentive internal editor more often, but those who would say so--you know who you are--should just fucking piss off.
Also, this month marks my blog's tenth year in existence. Yes, it's hard to believe that I've maintained my blog for ten years. Hey, if you're reading this, why not wish my blog a happy birthday!
It's tempting to say I first wrote "The Gray Hills Beyond" many years ago as an undergraduate, but so much of the poem has changed that it's more accurate to say that I conceived of its structure those long lost years gone by. Judson Jerome, who wrote a monthly column for Writer's Digest in those days, said he liked it--back then, I called the poem "Lunch"--but passed on publishing it in Cedar Rock. Over the years--I often play around with my old poems for ideas--both the beginning & the end have changed, so too the middle. Pretty much the same could be said of me physically, heh.
"The Devil's Playbook" came about as an experiment of sorts. I've always maintained that a poem can be about anything, that no topic is off-limits, yet I began to question how much I practice that. I tend to compartmentalize: some ideas are for my blog, some are for friends, some for the classroom, some for poems & so forth. But why? Can't I put in a poem the kinds of things I'd post on my blog, talk about in a classroom, or say in conversation? While there may be valid reasons--some pragmatic, some personal--why I might decide not to write about a particular subject in a poem (or talk about or post in my blog, for that matter), the idea is not to allow a preconceived idea that I've subconsciously constructed from the study of poetry to dictate what subject--& subsequently, style & language--is acceptable for the unwritten poem. Of course, some may argue, given that my poetry is already marked by unconventionality, that perhaps this isn't the best route for me to pursue, that perhaps I should instead pay stricter attention to my clucking, anal retentive internal editor more often, but those who would say so--you know who you are--should just fucking piss off.
Also, this month marks my blog's tenth year in existence. Yes, it's hard to believe that I've maintained my blog for ten years. Hey, if you're reading this, why not wish my blog a happy birthday!
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