for this one ...

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Thanks, madam.

I knew an English person would look more kindly on it than a California-ite.

But it can't possibly account for you being the quintessential insider when you yearn to be beyond the Pale. It might however explain her cretinous grasp of mechanics, not to mention her high degree of insultability.

Quintessential insider?

How very odd!

If that's true, and I really don't think it is, it's only because I'm one of the last few standing from the "meidum-old" days (not the really old days). So many have left - so much brilliance.

I don't know if you had a chance to appreciate Moloch-Agonistes; I'm pretty sure you know of IOZ, either from here or his blog.

Now it is true that I know a guy from college who's a WaPo staff humor columnist and I did post that fact to Moira a while back in a jocular manner (that I could get her a raise and a corner office if she played ball.)

But I seriously doubt that he's watching out for me - not with the kind of stuff I post when the "fit is on me".

You know what I mean by the "fit being on me" - I can tell when one's on you right-off.

Will you leave too, eventually, do you think?

I doubt though that you'll be able to hoist the dubya tabard, "Mission Accomplished", before you do, if you do. You often remind me of that Waits' song, 'Forgive me, pretty baby, but I always take the long way home'.

At this point it really depends more on time than inclination - particularly how much time I will or won't be spending here:

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and here:

http://strucclues.ornl.gov

and here:

http://www.ablemuse.com/erato/

(I'm negotiating for re-admission to the last, though I doubt I'l be successful. A few years ago, I pulled too big a "sociopoetic" prank on the guy who owns and runs the site. And btw, you should look at Kerrigan's comments in the "Distinguished Guest" forum of Eratosphere - very funny back and forth argument between him and Quncy Lehr and an Irish humorist named Jim Hayes. Kerrigan's also posted a poem in the "Deep End" forum which has stirred up a little dust.)

In any event, I hope you stick around and post a little more frequently, when the fit is on you or not, as you will.

on all your espionage links and sites. I'll take a gander at the 'Shallow End'.

I'm curious, do you actually set out to get yourself banned from all these sites, and is there a single remaining poetry chatroom worldwide from which you've not yet been banned, excepting of course the one you started yourself? Do you generally find your greatest self-affirmation resides in universal disapproval? I'd say a fate worse than death for you on the Fray would be to suddenly awake to find yourself bowing on the dais, having won by unanimous decision the Mr Congeniality award. Can you imagine how pissed off you'd be? how deep and inconsolable would be your grief?

Actually, it's too complicated a history to give you a satisfactory answer.

Suffice it (partially)to say that now that once I was published in a seriously heavy print mag ("The Dark Horse" on your side in Scotland), I came to realize that I was taking the "sociopoetics" of these places far too seriously, and could have acted otherwise.

Suffice it (again partially) to say that as part of my current request for reinstatement at Eratosphere, the winner of the 2008 Hecht Prize has written a letter to the E-sphere admin on my behalf, and that I am on the best of terms with one of the oldest founding members of the place - he's the guy that sponsored Kerrigan into the Distinguished Guest forum there.

Suffice it (again partially) to say that the one cardinal crime at any "metrical" neo-formalist board is to say that something (a sonnet, villanelle, what-have-you) is technically competent but absolutely uninspired.

BTW, whatever did you mean by "espionage sites and links"?

Do you think I'm trying to lure people somewhere where I can invade their software?

If so, I would hope you don't think I'm so good at it that I can do it at two sites sponsored by: a) an arm of the US govt; b) one of the largest SW companies in the world.

Does your ego fit through the door?

Hey dumb_blonde -

That was really sweet - kinda reminded me of another dumb_blonde who desperately wanted to be smart ... went so far as to marry Arthur Miller, even.

So for the sake of her memory, I'm gonna cut you a break here and tell ya somethin on the QT so as not to embarass you ...

it was meant as satire ...

Could you hear that? (I was whisperin'.)

I see you've decided to take an exploratory swim in the deep-end of a pool other than that which Slate provides at PFray.

I hope you continue to swim there - it will be fascinating to read your comments and the reactions elicited by them.

Yea. My very first comment elicited a curious snark. I tend to agree that formalism for its own sake cuts its heart out but does so with symmetrical precision. We'll see how it goes. I can't post a poem for a week, but I'm enjoying getting the lay of the land.

Morri Creech, winner of the 2005 Hecht Prize, and who runs the MFA Program at McNeese State U. is a student of a former Prof. of mine, John Wood. John now lives in Vermont. He's an authority on the Daguerreotype and writes ekphrastic poems on these photographs. Robert Olen Butler was there when I was there. It's where I met Amy Clampitt. I still have her typed-written copy of a play she wrote about Wordsworth, Dorothy and Coleridge at Dove Cottage. She it was first introduced me to Hermann Broch. Jeez, seems like another lifetime ago. Getting all maudlin here.

Check out some of these 'Horror-Show' poems by John Wood.

God-damn!

The one on the leprous kid:

My mother tells me prayer will help.
I think it won't, but try again:
"Look hard; their wings are white as milk,
and if you smile, they'll sometimes grin."

I looked so hard it hurt my eyes.
But she was right. I saw blue lips
and baby teeth, heard milky cries
floating toward me like small ships.

You're healed. Go unknown boy; go home.
Your herd awaits the winter hay.
But I was being nibbled down
and soon would be as real as they.

You really oughta post this link in the Eratosphere "Musing on Mastery" forum, with a note indicating your relationship to JW. Ler em know whom they're dealing with.

Meanwhile, though - be careful of "ad homs" - they will get you banned faster than a NY minute, even though the mods let old-timers like Cantor ad hom at will.