Eventuality! two minutes hate thread

**Jeffrey** · 07-14-2007, 01:12 PM

Couldn't think of a good enough self-effacing title. This is just to anticipate folks receiving their copies, so I have a thread where 1) people can alert me that it arrived safe and sound instead of having to private message me and 2) people can ask questions, if so inclined. I'd be happy to answer most any questions, though I think a Google search might clear up some of the references.

**Ordinary Sarah** · 07-14-2007, 01:47 PM

I received it today! I haven't looked at anything too carefully yet, seeing as I'm off somewhere with my family soon... but I am immensely excited about reading it. I also really liked all the other odds and ends you sent, and was wondering how on earth you knew I liked Gumby so much.

**Jeffrey** · 07-14-2007, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahTheGuitarist

I also really liked all the other odds and ends you sent, and was wondering how on earth you knew I liked Gumby so much.

Well, that's a good feeling of a lucky guess! I sent it because one of my favorite independent cartoonists, Shannon Wheeler, did the inks and I thought you'd get a kick out of all of the classic painting references. I was surprised by the issue, because when I got it I thought it was for kids. I mean, it sort of is, but it's chock full of bits that folks older than 7 can really appreciate.

**Ordinary Sarah** · 07-15-2007, 12:14 AM

Yeah! It made me really excited to see "Nude Descending A Staircase", because that was just in my last literature textbook, with a corresponding poem. I had really enjoyed that particular painting and the piece that went along with it. One more question... what is the music on the cd?

So I've read about ten or so of the poems in your chapbook... I didn't start at the beginning and go through from start to finish. I just sort of skipped around and read a few that caught my eye and then re-read some of the ones you've posted here before that I really liked. So far, it is quite excellent.

I definitely enjoyed "A Manifesto For Near-Apocalyptic Poetry". It seemed to have more of a simplistic feel than most of what I've read of yours in the past, and it had a real clarity to it (though I also noticed that a lot of the poems that I hadn't read before felt the same way - ie. "We Fly North", "Gallows", "Brakes" and "Sacrifice (Living)"). I think it has been my favorite of the collection thus far. I'm going to try and take a stab at what you're trying to say about your poetry as a whole through this piece, but I have a feeling that I might be off a bit, and so I'll let you explain if I haven't quite got it.

I'm guessing that you are trying to say that after we have decided to "leave behind" the things that hold us down, then we are, in fact "cut off from mankind", and yet we have still found something beautiful that makes us feel alive. And so we are left to fend for ourselves, to protect that beautiful thing we have discovered - or, in other words, to use writing as a means to protect that, to preserve a life that is uninhibited.

Again, I apologize if that is completely opposite of what you really meant. If all else fails, I did enjoy that one very much, especially, even aside from the insight you were giving. One thing I really like about your poetry is just the sheer beauty of your word choice and structure. The way it reads, especially aloud, is really wonderful.

Anyway, that's a very long explanation of what I thought so far. Basically, I'm enjoying it very much, and thanks for sending it and putting it together. =)

**beanbag** · 07-15-2007, 01:54 AM

I am very sorry my money hasn't gotten to you yet. I was a little bit preoccupied, which made me absent-minded, but I mailed you my envelope today! hopefully you will get it by tuesday or wednesday.

**Jeffrey** · 07-15-2007, 09:00 AM

The cd is just some songs I love that I always seem to have playing in the background when I do anything creative. I'll put up a tracklist in a bit, but it's a range of stuff - starts with Tom Waits and ends with Mike Park, with Slow Gherkin, the Magnetic Fields, and (theory of) Sean Chandler in between. I used to love making mix cds, so I thought it might be fun to include that with the poems. The honest truth is that at this point in my poetic development, despite reading a great deal of poetry, I still find more inspiration from non-poets.

I put the "salty speech" warning because a couple of the songs have profanity, and I didn't want anyone encountering that unwarned.

I think you have a good grasp on that poem, the "Manifesto." I guess the core of my silly Near-Apocalyptic poetry idea is that civilization is constantly on the edge of destruction, societies crumble and fall, etc. There's an upward vision of society in both East and West that even post-modernism hasn't been able to corrode. And I guess it's roughly justified, though we lose sight of how growth for humanity as a whole tends to cause the downfall of societies. We wouldn't be where we are without Rome, but where is Rome? Where would America be economically without the unjust suffering of indentured servants and imported slaves?

So: the idea is that, if one realized he or she was at the threshold of collapse, what he or she do? I assume we'd take stock of our past, celebrate its successes and failures, and look for any means of escape. Art can be used to maintain one's proper place - there's no guarantee that our society will survive another day, so we must proceed cautiously, but we also don't lose sight of our aspirations. If anything, the realization that history doesn't paint a picture of stability inspires us to pursue our goals and live our lives with greater resolve. But we never become too arrogant to lose a sense of poignancy.

In response, we are not limited by the excesses and failures of the society in which we live, nor do we cynically write them off or ignore them. We long to rise above them, but we don't consider ourselves better than them. There's a disgusting arrogance in much of modern poetry I can't stand.

I'm guessing that you are trying to say that after we have decided to "leave behind" the things that hold us down, then we are, in fact "cut off from mankind", and yet we have still found something beautiful that makes us feel alive. And so we are left to fend for ourselves, to protect that beautiful thing we have discovered - or, in other words, to use writing as a means to protect that, to preserve a life that is uninhibited.

This is a great summary. In the poem, the protagonists make their escape, but it's bittersweet. Once they finally manage to escape all of the dire predictions of war and all of the skyrocketing problems of society, they feel a mix of relief and also pain, because they haven't lost their love for mankind, just their ability to sit idly by. But there's an understanding that once one attempts to shed the trappings of their society, they're opening themselves up to a life without its comforts.

The whole near-apocalyptic thing hasn't been quite formulated in my mind, which is why the manifesto was a poem, not an essay. I think I can get a better grasp of it through art, and sooner or later I will be able to write it out succintly.

**Ordinary Sarah** · 07-17-2007, 04:36 PM

I think an essay or a book on what you said would be very interesting. And very relevant. Who knows... someday they may be teaching literary periods like so: romantic, post-modern, near-apocalyptic.

**Jeffrey** · 07-17-2007, 06:58 PM

Maybe I'd sum it up as:

"Cynicism without sentimentality is poisonous, sentimentality without context is ineffectual, and context without wit is boring."

**Ordinary Sarah** · 07-31-2007, 11:40 PM

I just wanted to say... that it made me bubble over with laughter to discover that you'd included "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cindy Lauper on that cd.

And I also wanted to say that your book is still an intriguing and inspiring pastime, and I've quite nearly read all of it.

**beanbag** · 08-06-2007, 01:41 AM

I got it!!

so I am skimming it first to get a feel for the overall picture and I will go back and reread in depth a second, third and maybe fourth time.

however, I can tell you right now that I really really like (could it turn into love?) the time signature.

**Jeffrey** · 08-06-2007, 04:28 AM

Cool, I'm surprised it arrived so quickly! Maybe all the extra stamps I slapped on out of confusion for our postal service translated to faster shipping.

"the time signature" and pretty much any part of the Morning Comes to Dagger City poems included in the chapbook are very important to me.

Now that a few CGR folks have copies (at least: Sarah, Sabrina, Donny, Caleb...did I mail others out to CGR folks thus far? DanielSkeeter and Rachael received theirs at Rachael's home but I don't know if they've gotten their hands on them), feel free to use this thread to ask questions. However, as I told Donny over coffee, feel free to first Google search. I have no problem unpacking these pieces, but I don't want to seem overindulgent or overly eager to explain poems that might be much more obvious than I would initially think. You can probably find a great deal of information on Google.

guitarczar · 08-06-2007, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffrey

Cool, I'm surprised it arrived so quickly! Maybe all the extra stamps I slapped on out of confusion for our postal service translated to faster shipping.

"the time signature" and pretty much any part of the Morning Comes to Dagger City poems included in the chapbook are very important to me.

Now that a few CGR folks have copies (at least: Sarah, Sabrina, Donny, Caleb...did I mail others out to CGR folks thus far? DanielSkeeter and Rachael received theirs at Rachael's home but I don't know if they've gotten their hands on them), feel free to use this thread to ask questions. However, as I told Donny over coffee, feel free to first Google search. I have no problem unpacking these pieces, but I don't want to seem overindulgent or overly eager to explain poems that might be much more obvious than I would initially think. You can probably find a great deal of information on Google.

Yes, yes. HP and the Deathly Hallows distracted me for a while, as did Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragon Lance). But I already started marking it up (what I did and did not like), and I hope to have those comments to you soon.

**Skeeter** · 08-06-2007, 05:23 PM

Yeah, Rachael and I won't be able to get our copies for a bit yet, unfortunately. It makes me very sad.

**+Donny** · 08-06-2007, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarczar

Yes, yes. HP and the Deathly Hallows distracted me for a while, as did Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragon Lance). But I already started marking it up (what I did and did not like), and I hope to have those comments to you soon.

Wow, Dragonlance brings back memories. I still remember little bits of Dragons of Summer Flame.

guitarczar · 08-07-2007, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by +Donny

Wow, Dragonlance brings back memories. I still remember little bits of Dragons of Summer Flame.

Yeah, it's good stuff, huh? Actually, I think it borders a bit on the trashy/junk/fun precipice, but I enjoy it. But to get back on topic, let me tell you how much I enjoyed Jeffrey's...

Actually, I have to read some more first.