Having read some of the most recent posts, I have a few questions about this board, although they are not the reason for this post. I do wonder why anyone bothers to even answer someone they consider a fraud and a plagiarist? I am a member of a cancer survivor board where, believe it or not, some people come in faking cancer and even impending death. While I am angered by the notion that they could have such audacity, in the end I have finally resolved that they are sicker than any of the legitimate folks in that board and the best thing to do is to simply ignore them once they have been exposed (while recognizing, I admit, that they may be a danger to those naive enough to be taken in).

I have to ask the same thing about this BBB character who seems to have since disappeared. Personally, I decided that this board was not a pleasant part of my day/week while that person was around, and I wondered with great amazement while Ted Burke continued to respond to the repugnant, abusive remarks of this person. I still do.

I hate to say this, but I noted in perusing this board in the weeks following my active participation that it became a better board, with better posts and much more interesting conversation. I liked to think that it was not my absence but the absence of certain others, but I am not the one to judge that.

I note that a number of folks (Ted and Bratsche among the notables) do submit original poetry here, and it seems that this is acceptable, while at the same time I recognize, I think, that the primary purpose of the board is to offer critique of the works of others, both the 'ancients' and currents.

I would be happy to get some sort of a history/guide regarding the board. In the meantime, it is my occasional unfortunate habit to get a wild hair up my backside and to write what I think falcon once described as 'a 20 minute wonder'. Whether it was falcon or not, I salute the one who came up with that. Still, I can't help myself, it seems, and I sometimes write something (I DO work it over for a bit, honestly) and then post it here in the hope that others will comment in a worthy manner. It need not be kind, of course, but I would expect from the worthies here that it would be useful at the very least.

The following is something that began as a PAP, but before the end of the first sentence became something else entirely. It is not a complete effort, but I have come to expect that little or none of what I read here from fellow posters is meant to be considered complete.

Take care,

Joe

Untitled

There is much that is tragic,
Blood on the street where once a body lay
Anonymously and bleached of life
While strangers walk obliquely by,

Grizzled men in hungry coats
With nervous shoes and angry eyes
Suppressed by trembling hands and
Urgent pleas to disregard the past,

While strangers walk obliquely by,

The weeping widow wondering among
Obligatory black umbrellas raining
On her faith what took the man away
while strangers walk obliquely by,

Offering condolences and
Measures of their self-same faith,
Beads and baubles, words and whispers,
Mouth to ear and cheek to cheek,

The strangers walking slowly by.

Ted Burke continued to respond to the repugnant, abusive remarks of this person

Joe

So far as my relationship with bbb (and his other nic jlstix before that) goes, you might remember that most of the time I didn't respond to him at all, didn't post in threads he'd start; I tried mightily to avoid him, hoping he would tire himself out and go elsewhere for mischief. bbb was tireless , though, and stalked me relentlessly, insulting me, attacking me. There were times that defending myself was needed if only to maintain my own opinion of myself realistic and balanced. I didn't try to engage this man in conversation; he chased me, and I had no choice but to occasionally respond.

Thanks for the poem, always welcome here. Yes, this is a public board - so every once and again the bad sorts get in. Usually the Fray Editor/Monitor does away with them when they get overly abusive but the over-all Poetry Fray participant is polite and educated. I am no poet acedemic so I learn a great deal here from the well spoken and poetically knowledgable posters here. We write so that others may read and it is nice to post personal poetry here for anyone to read.

Ted is sort of a magnet for contrarian posters. He is opinionated and well written which seems to attract thier attention. They seem to really wan't attention from him and some of them have a long history and probable mental problems in thier need to morph into a new user and return. Have been here off and on for eight years or so - many here have been here many years because there are good and interesting people here. A strange little poems family.

"Why would anyone bother to answer someone they consider a fraud and plagiarist?"

1. Emphasis added, above. Because well-meaning Poems Fray ostriches like yourself continue to cast "fraud and plagiarism" as subjective or unestablished, and Denny as a victim of "opinion". Hence, the upshot of your question is a wholly unwarranted inversion of the appropriate focus, reading more like "why would anyone bother responding to someone they don't happen to like", instead of "why would someone plagiarize and lie, then post here on Poems Fray, much less be allowed to post here?"

Which leads to answer two.....

2. Because Fray Editors are in the main are feckless placeholders who abdicate the ordinary professional functions of their job, like ensuring or maintaining Denny's flush on sight status. That leaves those with institutional memories here to preserve the record and harry the villains. Yes, it's probably more pleasant for you and other PFray regulars not to have to your reveries interrupted by unseemly confrontation. When that sharp, immediate pushback isn't accomplished periodically, however, the board is overrun by trolls like Denny and his pals, as virtually every thread and poster is conscripted into the service od their self-promotional psychodramas. I don't know whether you've been around long enough to see that happen, Soccerfreak, but it has, several times. Do you miss JackRabbit, e.g.?

Even as I typed my response to you, Denny's new alternic was flushed in toto. That would not have happened without the villain being harried and pointed out to the executive placeholder.

Inkberrow:

Even as I typed my response to you, Denny's new alternic was flushed in toto. That would not have happened without the villain being harried and pointed out to the executive placeholder.

You don't know that, Inkberrow. Perhaps it was done without "the villain being harried."

As you know, attacking an attacker has never been my style (plus, I'm not very good at it). But I don't think that makes me an ostrich. Or a passive observer. I do try to reason with such posters; sometimes it works (Laurie), and sometimes it doesn't (denny).

And when reason doesn't work, there are other ways to get rid of a bad poster besides taunts.