Cut ups

[Hawkman]

Come my friend
feast with me upon the desiccated corpses
of dead poems.
Dissect their sentimental leaves,
perform an appendectomy or two
and then, with careless thread,
stitch them into something new.
Digest the meaning of the words
within the stomach mind
and then at last, with process done,
excrete deceptive points of view
and revel in our crime.

We are the ghouls of poetry,
the parasites of prose;
wraithlike and herpetic,
We lurk on dusty shelves.
Through the covers of anthologies
we plunder what we find
and gnaw upon the contents
as dead laureates won’t mind.
We’re Burrowsian disciples
and with cut-ups we are skilled,
we take a piece of literature
to torture ‘til it’s killed.
But when were sure we’ve slain it
we’ll stir its empty shell
and claim it as our finest work,
but who could ever tell?

[PrinceMyshkin]

Guilty as charged, and your indictment was fun to read.

[Delta40]

A Frankenstein Poem....

[hillwalker]

Yes, brilliant piece, Hawk.
The second stanza far outshines the first in my opinion - perhaps because the metre is more consistent throughout. But don't let that put you off your stride - very compelling reading.

[Pendragon]

"the desiccated corpses of dead poems"

What an image this conjures up!

[Hawkman]

Well, I've just got in from filming the Kingfishers. Sad really, the nest I was watching has been abandoned as the regicidal male which killed their father and seduced their mother has been murdering the young princes by dragging them out of the burrow and pummeling them to death. The female is now sitting on eggs in another burrow, so the future looks bleak for the three remaining youngsters. Reads like Shakespeare doesn't it.


Guilty as charged, and your indictment was fun to read.

My Prince, you shatter my illusions. The great and noble Myshkin resorting to cut-ups... tut, tut. Still, glad you enjoyed the poem (and outing yourslef!)


A Frankenstein Poem....

D40, you observe, but you do not judge. Is it nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous poetry, or to take up arms against a sea of modernism, and by opposing, end it?


Yes, brilliant piece, Hawk.
The second stanza far outshines the first in my opinion - perhaps because the metre is more consistent throughout. But don't let that put you off your stride - very compelling reading.

Ah, comrade hillwalker, happy to have compelled you. Not too brilliant I trust. Do you imply that the reader merely requires shades, or should they equip themselves with a welding mask?


"the desiccated corpses of dead poems"

What an image this conjures up!

Pen, glad to have provided fuel for your imagination.

To all the noble souls who have graced this poem with a comment, my heartfelt thanks. To everyone else who has read it and hopefully enjoyed it I thank you for your time and hope to have entertained you.

Live long and prosper. H

[PrinceMyshkin]

Might I point out, dear sir, that an anagram of your oft-posted signature might be: Engraved pills porno, among others?

http://wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram.cgi?anagram=Live+long+and+prosper&t=1000&a=n

[Delta40]

Definitely nobler to cop the slings and arrows of outrageous poetry. What smacks you in the face is free fodder for more creative poetry

[Hawkman]

My Prince I see you are a devotee of the Rectors Wisdoms,

Spangled plover iron.

D40 Spoken, (or at least written) like a truly egalitarian, opportunist! :D

Live and be well. H

[PrinceMyshkin]

My Prince I see you are a devotee of the Rectors Wisdoms,

Not really, but I do like crossword items.

[Hawkman]

PM,

They say you should never go to bed on a crossword and oh, how I need my bed! I therefore retire from the game as I retire. Game set and match to you. Nos da, H

[lallison]

haha, another good one Hawk. First a journey through the digestive system and then a run around through the graveyard. What could be more fun!

[Virgil]

Hahaha! Excellent. :D

[blank|verse]

Not sure I agree with the rather cynical, anti-creativity theme of this one, but everyone's entitled to their opinions...

However, there are some nice touches in this and like hillwalker, think the second stanza is better than the more ragged first.

[MorpheusSandman]

While I'm with Blank in not really agreeing with the sentiments, I appreciate the creative deftness in this piece and greatly enjoyed it from a pure poetic perspective. Though I was vividly reminded of the TS Eliot quote: "Bad poets borrow, good poets steal" - although there are quite a few variations on this. I guess you go a bit further when he says that "bad poets deface what they take". Well, as a gross "taker" I'm always hoping I'm not defacing anything, but it can be difficult to step out from the shadows of giants.


Reads like Shakespeare doesn't it.More like Sophocles.

[Hawkman]

Lall & Virgil, Thank you both, I was aiming to make you laugh.

B/V Glad you found something to enjoy. I'm not sure That the cut-up process is as creative as coming up with an idea and working through it to produce a poem. To take someone else's work, chop it up, throw it in the air and see how the pieces arrange themselves on the carpet, would seem to me to be devolving the creativity to fate... :)

Morpheus Hi there. I often find other peoples work inspiring, in fact when I'm dry I like to read a few and if I find an idea I will play with it, but I don't go so far as to borrow entire lines, unless I'm parrodying or playing a game. Maybe I should give the Cut-up a go and see how it works, but I I'll feel really guilty afterwards!

Not sure about the Sophocles thing. I don't think the regicidal male was the female's son... ;)

Thank you all for commenting.

Live and be well - H

[Bar22do]

Late again, may I be pardoned, pardoned also for liking the rug of the first stanza... though I enjoyed your whole poem through. Sentiments are making one uneasy: opportunist poets... does it really go together? well deft more or less, this forum at least counts several POETS.
Thanks for your humour, I enjoyed the skill as well. Bar

[MorpheusSandman]

I don't go so far as to borrow entire lines, unless I'm parrodying or playing a game. I have on occasion, but I try to do it knowingly so that the audience doesn't think I'm trying to beguile them with appropriation.

[Hawkman]

Sweet Bar,

Do not ask of me my pardon,
you’re guilty of no crime,
not even in your lateness,
as you have the gift of time.

My first verse rug is yours to use
to guard you from the chill
of careless life’s vicissitudes;
I hope it warms you still.

Freedom from predation’s threat
I trust you’ll always know;
no opportunist poet’s blade
should reap of what you sow.

Do not then rest uneasy,
in laughter know no strife,
may humour keep your poems safe
from plagiarism’s knife.

Ah, Morpheus; you face the judgement and retribution of outraged muses and the gods of poetry - I will pray for you! :D

[Bar22do]

Sweet Bar,

Do not ask of me my pardon,
you’re guilty of no crime,
not even in your lateness,
as you have the gift of time.

My first verse rug is yours to use
to guard you from the chill
of careless life’s vicissitudes;
I hope it warms you still.

Freedom from predation’s threat
I trust you’ll always know;
no opportunist poet’s blade
should reap of what you sow.

Do not then rest uneasy,
in laughter know no strife,
may humour keep your poems safe
from plagiarism’s knife.

Ah, Morpheus; you face the judgement and retribution of outraged muses and the gods of poetry - I will pray for you! :D

Hehe, I'll certainly use your "rug" now with this rhymed permission - you improve as you're going wild with rhymes (they must be a part of your blood!) :ciappa: