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I've purchased a poetry book like two months ago. Read in a book that poetry can add a lot of power to your prose. But I've been procrastinating my ass off. Flipping through the pages and skimming a few sections, it looks super complicated. Like...I don't get ANY of the poems they include. The book is titled "The Poet's Companion" by by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux. But I'll definitely look into this.

And it's raining where I am too. Windy. For the first time in years, I took a plastic umbrella with to a Halal market just a few minutes away. Had fun twirling that thing on my shoulder. And I might have hummed the chorus to "Singing in the Rain" once or twice or four times haha

I hope your stove was nice and toasty.

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It is. I got cured cherry this winter. Score!

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Every time I hear the word "poetry" my mind knee jerks violently and within nanoseconds I have the archetype of some pretentious douche wasting my time with the fact that he loves the sound of his own voice. (Oh. Wait. That's me) Anyway, I'm glad I'm in this class or I wouldn't go near that link. Thank you Sir.

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Except for Dorothy Parker. She is everything.

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There's little in giving or taking / There's little in water or wine / This living, this living, this living was never a project of mine... Know a half dozen Parker poems by heart. Wish we could recite them together. A kind of showdown.

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“Oh, gallant was the first love, and glittering and fine;

The second love was water, in a clear white cup;

The third love was his, and the fourth was mine;

And after that, I always get them all mixed up.”

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:) I would like that very much.

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Hey Chuck, there was a podcast you did where you recited that poem at the very start and the other person called you a show-off. I think it was Chelsea Cain. What was the name of that?

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Was that "Smart Asses"? We only recorded the three sessions. My go-to for sound checks is always 'Jabberwocky.' When I was eighteen a co-worker from South Africa (David) explained the poem was Carroll's piss take on Scottish dialects, and David taught me how to say it the way the author intended. Said David's way, the poem makes you sound as if you're possessed by a demon.

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"...the poem makes you sound as if you're possessed by a demon." My goodness.

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Totally one of my favs!!

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Consider that all good writing is a distortion of language. Song lyrics are. Poetry is. Play writing certainly is -- as demonstrated by Suddenly, Last Summer. It's repetition and alliteration and stuff. But we expect "good" writing to be always correct. Please look at poetry and how it warps language for effect.

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“Let the storm wash the plates”

Just wow.

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THAT's EXACTLY THE INTUITIVE WORDing WE SHOULD STRIVE FOR AS WE WRITE FICTION.

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"Dishes are done, man!" lol

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And John Lennon's "Imagine" is one of the greats in my opinion.

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Even though I love Guts, the story that most affected me was Knock, Knock. The message I got from that story was that a lot of people use humor to mask pain. I loved the juxtaposition of suffering and laughter. It's classic. And...I also tend to use jokes to distract from my problems.

The line that sticks out from that story isn't even a full sentence. It's the line..."All that stinking sugar." For a long time I misremembered it as, "All that creamy shit." *shrugs*

Maybe that is why it stuck hahaha!

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One of my favorite poems is Life Story by Tennessee Williams.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50045/life-story-56d22cc476c2b

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Four Quartets by T S Elliott:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccupYGfiDEw

You hear something new every time you listen to it.

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Oops - T S Eliot. Sorry T S.

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Great way to start the day.. with Tom's sensitive rendering.

I'll leave this here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro2foAM4x0M&ab_channel=antoniogiakomo

This piece reminds me always that only entropy wins at the end. None matters. Not even time itself.

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What do you write Sir? As a Rabbi?

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Adrienne Rich, “Diving into the Wreck.” Her poetry grabs at my being immediately. When I first read that as I was coming out bi in the 90’s, I was overwhelmed with emotion I didn’t understand or have anything to relate to. She was the beginning of finding myself. To this day, that poem just knocks chunks out of my self-made armor. I’m grateful to her.

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Thank you for being kind to Miss Sassy. ♥️ She loves that little blue piggy.

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Ah, it's a pleasure. We'll get more toys out to more dogs and cats before this is over.

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Let me know if I can help!

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Poetry is like a penis you don’t want see or feel… but sometimes you do.

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LOL. Now that's poetry. Bravo.

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Where did the love of Hank Williams come from???

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How do you feel about Hank III?

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Can I just suggest the poet James Tate for all the absurdist fans?

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"It is raining and gusting like all-get-out, here.

Just lit the first fire of the year

in the wood stove."

Did you do that intentionally?

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