Re: narratives, metamucil and tomatoes

true, but I don't like to think of my poems as reduced to that -

and well - your argument supports mine - the idea of poetry as a popularity contest as - to me - to seek approval as driving the process of making - as highly unappealing -

purpose - getting a job - I don't like that idea at all

I truly believe the role of "poetry" (for lack of a better term)
has been reduced and delegitimized, sublimated to the rational -
the rational considered as "better" -

it's not - but we live in a world - a lousy one in some regards -
not of course totally lousy - because we can still find simple
beauties - but the potential of poetry is reduced by this worship
of logic - as if logic were the goal -

now why do you suppose it is? it's mistaken -

you sidestepped the issue of the abstract by the way - and I'm not
going to let you off the hook on that - it's abstract not logical

we're stuck with logic because it is a useful tool - but logic is
intrisically flawed - it's always only partial - we cannot
logically explain the world - hence the appeal to "greater" powers - whatever that, or those

and here enters poetry - or it should - but before we were born
our "culture" turned it into a commodity of exchange - and not a
very valuable commodity at that - today it's considered almost
worthless -

but it's evidence of our living more fully I believe than we would
without and shouldn't come with requirements - there's all kinds
of poems - a good thing - but I think we only see a sliver of the
potenial power of the poem - and poems can harness that power even
when nonsensical - witness abracadabras etc - the belief in seed
sounds without "known" meanings or the role of the ritual
utterance in so-called "primitive" societies -

I think you are arguing for a very narrow definition of what a
poem can be -

S

But we might additionally ask if poems are supposed to be objects
of
capital, something of exchange in a capitalist society.

How do we either use our poems as objects of trade, to establish a
career for instance.

you have used your back, kidneys eyesight and god knows what else,
hauling loads all over the highways. you've exchanged your health
for
rent, groceries and other necesseties.

if your art could secure you a teaching position or if you could
command 1500 per reading, how would that be different in intent or
resulgt than your previous occupation?

ohmboyz