Open Source Poem VIII
Jen tagged me to add an eighth stanza to the Open Source Poem. Spicy Cauldron explains the idea behind the Open Source Poem here: “Well, when a blogger is tagged, she or he has to answer a set of questions, usually, which are then passed on. Often, you have to say who tagged you and who you’re tagging, so that anyone interested will be able to follow the path onwards. Some of these tags do the rounds continuously, sometimes getting back to you, remarkably, more than once or twice. I imagine some tags will never actually end. Now, what if we did something along those lines with a brand-new poem?”
And that’s what eight bloggers (including myself) have done so far. Take a look:
1
If every moment has a continued existence in the mind,
isn’t it kind to think that the medium, here before you,
his handlebar moustache marking him out as eccentric,
the tweed trousers a mistake for his years, only forty,
stands some suspect chance, admittedly, of revealing
to you, the seeker, some hint, a shadow of her heart?
http://www.spicycauldron.com
2
To even have a shadow of a heart, one must first have had a heart,
Admitted the senses, the feelings of humanity to oneself,
Taken a part in that human game known as life, confessed their mortality.
How could I then be known to anyone else? How could he know me?
For him to truly know me, I would have to have knowledge of myself
And that mystery of self is hazier still to me than to he.
http://musingsofkhlari.blogspot.com
3
But that mystery is the reason, for being here
To try and understand, to learn which path to take
Entrusting ones life to the ethereal plane and its whims
Or is it to a showman, a flim-flam, a fake?
Taking your inner demons and twisting your soul for profit
Who is the eccentric now?
http://purpledragonslair.co.uk
4
Rilke says, “Every angel is terrible.” He means, Beauty
burns us down. Consider dusk. What does it mean?
Every day cows return to the barn. James Wright says,
“I have wasted my life.” Anyone could say everything
and not live up to that. Cows in barn. Angels asleep.
The medium before you. Consider the dusk.
http://immaculateconniption.blogspot.com/
5
Consider the medium before you, the dusky
moment continued in the mind, a shadow the heart
throws over reason, its little mystery squeamish
at angles, at cowbells, at trousers, at veal
and its reveal, at game rules on boxtops on lazy
hazy Sundays. Whose innertube turns in foam below
the treatment plant?
http://www.lovesettlement.blogspot.com/
6
The boiling medium of frothy toxic outfall
swallows whole the medium so recently before you,
yet his inner tube drifts on until stillness reflects
only rainbows and shadows. The prostitution of his
genuine eccentric talents has eroded reason and illusion
until his life dissolves. (yet ripples and echoes remain.)
http://jamiward.blogspot.com/
7
The medium felt himself sink and then thought of a story:
Monet once left his greatest masterpiece in the rain.
It melted from distinction and form into chaos and mud.
“From this,” he said, “I will make my new heart.”
One person’s whoring can be an eccentric’s rebirthing.
The medium wondered why his pulse throbbed so strong.
http://alifelessconvenient.com
8
Who gets to assign the value
Of any one act without knowing the intent
or the need behind it?
Consider the medium, finding the shadows of her heart:
Is it still prostitution if no one feels sold (out)?
The medium’s worth is recognized, and the skill valued.
http://dailydoseofqueer.com
I now tag Winter at Desperate Kingdoms to complete the ninth stanza. I tag Nate! (Edited 03/25/06)
Yay! Very nice job Maria.
This is a fun meme but it requires some patience to watch it develop LOL
I like it! Good job, Maria.
Hey Maria! I was so pleased to read via Jami that you’d been tagged for this. It really is shaping up into something extraordinary. I love your stanza! Of course, eventually we’re going to see someone having to come up with a solution for how to present the poem in full as it grows bigger and bigger… Otherwise, we might not only end up with an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest collaborative poem, we might also end up with the record for longest-ever webpage, too!
I’m not sure how future holders of this poetic torch or baton could solve this potential problem. But for now this is a thing of beauty! It’s been so nice to see the poem develop from all the different minds being applied creatively. There’s a story here which is fascinating me with its twists and turns. I can’t honestly say why I chose to reference the medium at the start but it’s one of those keywords which, I guess, attracts interest in a way in which simply referencing a man or woman wouldn’t necessarily. I mean, people are either believers or non-believers in psychic stuff, so a medium is a person a writer can really get to grips with I suppose. The whole thing is turning out to be a philosophical statement which is, surprisingly to me at any rate, constant and coherent. So much of life is being discussed in this poem, and so much of the mysteries of life, death, the idea of crossing between the two. Huge poem, huge topics.
I shouldn’t really say it as the originator but I will anyway: I think this is one of the most worthwhile memes I’ve ever been involved in. Poetry can reveal more of a person’s ideas and mind than questions such as ‘name your earliest school’ or ‘what’s your favourite chocolate bar’ ever could. I’ve also never known of a meme you might be interested in following the trail of. I’ve come across some wonderful blogs new to me in the course of this poetic journey across cyberspace, and when one pops up – such as yours – which I already visit, I am reminded of how we tend to form communities in the blog world which, like the world, are surprisingly smaller than we might think. And that’s a good thing. I guess the poem reveals the invisible networking that goes on in the blogosphere in an attractive, stimulating way while blogrolls can only list our connections. Shopping list versus poetic narrative. Hmm. I know which I prefer.
The OSP not only does something new by just being up and running but it also encourages interest in poetry, it allows for experienced poets or those simply up for it to have a go, and it gives us the chance of happening across blogs we might otherwise never have encountered. All good! I look forward to reading the next instalment… x
Thanks, everyone.
Hi spicycauldron! I’m pleased that I got tagged for it too. You’re right that it’s going to get way long! Maybe there could be some type of limit and it could end at stanza… 57 (because that’s not long)? Or it can always be moved to its own page – and people who get tagged can add their stanza as a comment (stanzas being the only comments allowed)?
I’m looking forward to the next stanza too. :)
I’ve posted an update on my site to let folks know this is where the trail ran cold after you wrote your bit, so hopefully we can pick up the trail from here. It’s a shame Nate didn’t pass it on if he didn’t want to do it; it’s easy enough for anyone, there’s no compulsion and if folks don’t want to do it they can just give it to someone who does.
I’d like to suggest my friend Oak over at branchesup.blogspot.com. I know if she’s not able/willing, she will definitely pass it to someone who is although I suspect she will be honoured to be asked and up for it! x