Fellow Fraysters,

I told one of the Fraysters in absentia that I'd come on and do three things:

1) Respond to the Thursday OPP;
2) Explain to the chimps now running the zoo that is Poems Fray that my absence until next Tuesday (as stated by me) is meant to be a mild form of protest;
3) Explain to the chimps now running the zoo that is Poems Fray why I express my view of the situation in those terms. (After all, they may be too dense or too self-absorbed to "get it" without being told.)

Well, I can't find any Thursday OPP as yet (not by the estimable Lunesta, at any rate), and I've just stated the second item. The third is explained by the private allegation that MaryAnn actually instigated this whole current situation (even if only by accident) and then left when the results started getting too unpleasant. It's as if the de facto zookeeper unlocked the cages where the chimps were kept, and then sneaked out the back gate when the chimps started taking over the zoo.

As for the rest, my infamous parody gene has been triggered by an inadvertent comment made off-line. I'm almost tempted to submit this as The Lone Gunmen's National Anthem. (Not even I count this one of my better parodies, but then I don’t want to sink to the level of those I’m talking about. You know who you are, or should.)

ODE TO THE CHIMPS RUNNING THE ZOO
Sung (with apologies) to "It's Hard To Be Humble" by Mac Davis

{Refrain}

Some find it hard to be humble
When they're perfect in every way
They can't wait to look in the mirror
'Cause they get better lookin' each day
To know them is to love them
Each one is a honorable man
Oh yes it's hard to be humble
But they're doin' the best that they can

I fancied myself as a poet
But I guess I just couldn't compete
With all those published Fraysters
And the sycophants down by their feet
Well I probably could find me a forum
Where everyone's in awe of me
Who cares I am a Lone Gunman
And I treasure my own company

{Refrain}

The Fray is now run by chimpanzees
The zookeeper's run for her life
I could treat them like sensible humans
But then I wouldn’t put up with the strife
Some folks say that I'm a coward
Look I don't even know what that means
I guess it has something to do with the way
I don’t care about their hill of beans

{Refrain}

wr ()()

The third is explained by the private allegation that MaryAnn actually instigated this whole current situation (even if only by accident) and then left when the results started getting too unpleasant. It's as if the de facto zookeeper unlocked the cages where the chimps were kept, and then sneaked out the back gate when the chimps started taking over the zoo.

Rabbit, I am astounded that you would repeat, let alone give credence to, such a disgusting allegation, spawned, no doubt, by Lunesta.

I had been thinking about leaving for months. Last Monday, when Artemesia and Angel got into one of their usual catfights, I asked them to stop, to put the PoemsFray above their personal feelings. Angel ignored me, and Artemesia claimed I was biased toward Angel. I guess that was the incident that made me realize things weren't going to get any better here. These newcomers are a symptom of an already disfunctional fray, not a cause of it.

The PoemsFray will get better only when the regulars pull together.

1. Refuse to post hurtful posts.
2. Ignore hurtful posts by others.
3. Post a poem, either an original or an OPP. Comment on a poem.

As far as I can see, the only two people who have top-posted anything serious related to poetry since the Tuesday poem are Ted (who also posted the Thursday OPP) and Artemesia. Why are the rest of you just sitting there on your rear ends instead of commenting on their posts? Just how interested are you -- really -- in poetry?

I forgot to mention Bratsche as one who has top-posted something serious related to poetry recently.

Your post here accidentally pre-certifies what I just posted.

Ironically, I did not see your post here before posting to BotF and then linking here.

MaryAnn - something for you to think about - perhaps if you had not been missing the forest for the trees these past months and years, the Poems Fray would not have been so vulnerable to Jack's particular brand of social satire - vulnerable in the sense that his satire merely unlocked what was waiting all that time to be unlocked ...

But I know who it was & I hope the person will come forward and claim ownership, whether privately or publicly. You should hear from WR soon, since I have just written him about his ill-thought-out post. You both owe me an apology,

I assume you will agree once the person who actually hatched that allegation comes forward and 'clears' me,
MIz Sheriff.

Also, you are incorrect about those of us who have been posting on peotic matters; please scroll back one page & see my Top Post of Wednesday on the topic of the Thrusday OPP, for just one example. I will do next week's, followed by Bratsche, then by Foobs, if all goes according to plan. Some of the others have decided to take a week off (see Islandtime's top post of Wed.) -- and that's their right, their choice & their prerogative. If you are wondering why, it's due to the presence of David's new friends, the Hostile Invaders and their nasty Top Posts and attitude - or so it seems.

Couldn't stay away v. long, could you? :-)

Btw, I'll take that apology either privately or publicly; but believe me, as WR will tell you, it was NOT me.

Maybe you need to cool off a little, Mary Ann? And again, as always, to stop lecturing us (see your last two lines, ok?)

It really gets old, Mary Ann, after all these years."Thanks."

in response comments: Nightengale2, catnapping, Foobs, Melvyl, Galatea, and Southern Gal. That's just off the top of my head. Really, for someone who ALWAYS does her homework, this was not your strongest post, to say the least. Maybe hold off on the accusations a bit better, next time? p.s. didn't you just leave the PFray, the other day? I'm so confused. :-)

As someone who (1) seems to know what is going on and (2) seems to be sane, could you explain what is going on here?

The chimps are in charge of the place
flinging feces and mud in your face
how they tussle and twit
with no wisdom or wit
so it's just that much more a disgrace.

A child of five would be shamed
if it played such an immature game
it would not deign to laugh
(it's too clever for that!)
and it knows that the joke is so lame.

But I'll write nothing more as to that
as I don't want to join in the spat,
so to "Fray" I implore
add a button: ignore
and I'll be as content as my cat.

not peotic. L.

David's new friends?

Sorry, I can only claim credit for one old friend - Jack Conway.

The rest are the Fray's very own - see my post on the subject at BotF (linked to here.)

I am sorry to have to point out that the distaff side of the species is responsible for 99% of all the shit that happens at web poetry boards.

Dear MaryAnn,

Well, had we an "office pool" we'd have some big winners and some big losers right now. You're back -- much sooner than some expected, but not all.

Lunesta, I believe, wants me to write to you privately. I don't think that's necessary at this point, or in some ways even advisable. What caused this "situation" happened largely in the light of day. I think my assessment of the situation should be there too.

For the record, Lunesta was not the source of my inference that you instigated (willy-nilly) this whole current situation. Someone else who has also suffered from this situation summarized the situation for me. And that summary explained so many of the facts so simply and so completely that I found it very credible indeed. I still do. You started one domino falling, and a whole chain of dominos followed -- and so here we are today. The only point in dispute, it seems, is whether you felled that first domino intentionally or naively.

The one thing I should've made clear in my top post (with regards to you) is that I would like very much to believe that your instigation wasn't intentional. I'm slow to believe accusations even when the evidence for them is right in front of me. (Lunesta can attest to that!) And certainly I can deal with you, as I seriously doubt I can with many on the Fray right now, "like a sensible human". But intentionally or not, in my opinion you've managed to undo most of the good you've done for the Fray, and now only the Freditors can correct the situation (if they care enough to do so).

Whether you opened the metaphorical chimpanzee cages intentionally and subtly -- which I would prefer not to believe, despite the circumstantial evidence put before me -- or accidentally and naively, if you wanted to save the situation from its own consequences, then the one thing you shouldn't have done is run off when the poo fight started. You've been the nearest thing to a volunteer zookeeper that we've had for some time. Not everyone has liked that, but there it is. You should've written to the Freditors if you hadn't already; you're one of the few people around here who seem to have their ear.

As it is, I am not coming back here until the Freditors do their job and clean house. (I was going to make that assessment next Tuesday, but I've seen enough to make up my mind.) If that means I never come back here at all, then so be it. If you want a message to get to me on this or any other matter, then you'll need to send it by e-mail.

One last thing. If I had left a "good-bye note" at all last week, it would've said that I appreciated your past statements about my even-handedness and that I hoped I was one of those you said you appreciated and learned from. I have tried to be even-handed in this post. The only thing left to me now (aside from a brief answer to Foobs in this thread) is to write to the Freditors myself, which I plan to do on Sunday or Monday.

Best wishes,
wr ()()

Get over yourself.

The one thing passive-aggressives can't stand is some real honest-to-goodness aggression.

It just affronts the hell out of them terribly.

You're a talented guy in your own sphere - too bad you've got your head up your ass in this one.

Dear Foobs,

I don't think you've been around long enough to understand all the games that are being played right now. I've been around for a good while, and I still don't understand them all. So for me to try to summarize even what started this latest round of insanity would be beyond my ability.

As I just wrote to MaryAnn in this thread, one of the recent victims of this malarky (not Lunesta, who's been persecuted by some of these people for a very long time) gave me a lucid and convincing summary of the present circumstances and their causes. But that's all I can or will say about the matter publicly; I have said too much as it is in all likelihood. If you want to write to me privately (my personal Web site has the appropriate links), then I can ask if my informant wants to tell you more. Lunesta could too if she's willing, but either way, you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know.

If you can function in this poo fight, as others among the regulars are trying to do, then more power to you. I'm not going to try. This is a job for the Fray shepherds; the sheep and the goats, left to fighting among themselves, are only going to make a lot of noise, shed a lot of hair, and smell bad. I want no part of that.

Best wishes to you,
wr ()()

Hopefully it will not fall on deaf ears. The fact that you did choose to write to M.A. this way, publicly, and not privately, as I did indeed suggest, is just more evidence to me -- as if that were ever needed, not !-- of your honesty & upstanding manner, in all things, places and ways.

You explained your situation re: writing the above Top Post perfectly clearly & in a totally rational, FAIR manner. One
can only hope that Mary Ann might show back up and accept your clarification and perhaps, even, tender an apology to me. (and to you)

Of course, I am not holding my breath on that last. :-)

And I would have, indeed, lost The Office Pool since I believed she would take a month, at least, off after making her farewell announcement. If you really do decide to leave here and if that remains permanent, it will be the PFray's loss, far more than your own. Thanks again for your courtesy, honesty and good ole, plain, common decency.

Our own long-time friendship, begun here & nurtured & developed here, will, of course, continue. Comme toujours,

ton amie fidele.

Well, what about the REAL Jack Conway, David? Do you realize that his academic career could have been jeopardized had the several people on here who expressed interest in writing to his two colleges about these antics ... actually done so?

Also, I find it instructive that "Catherine the Great" has chosen not to reply to us or WR -- at least not yet. I'm still waiting for that apology. She could email me, but I guess that would just be too easy. Take care, brother D.

Lunesta -

If you knew Jack's history on the web with folks who have written his employers or threatened to write them, you'd realize how funny your comment here is.

Plus, isn't it generally agreed that folks who threaten to write other folks' employers fall under the category of "stalkers"?

I have a note in one of the current front-page BoTF threads about this very question.

Regards