Maxim Adage “Poems”

…ain’t no Poems

Cheap Seats Ticket to Ride: Reviewing this upcoming issue’s tonnage of “poems” being received at the meadow Ford van, some exquisite material. But then, for a goodly deal of it, I’m a-thinking we’ve slipped into some sort of weird parallel dimension…Either the Twilight Zone explanation or the alternative—writers have simply run out of gas. Shot their dry ammunition the first few submittals and they’s nuttin’ left ‘cept the soggy hollow echo of the damp powder barrel: weak, trite writing;  epigrams, epitaphs (which can be worth-while if presented properly) trying to sneak in CAPPED TITLES, hinky-doo formatting, soliloquys about their whacker while standing at the cig-butt filled urinal in the bus station…Sheesh! Many, many too wide to be used anyway (hey, folks it’s 2-5/8 inches wide —2-3/4 max. in a pinch— use a ruler, please) …and those were the good” poems”. Whatever happened to basic grammar and punctuation? Following directions…? Less confessional boo-hoo.

   So, ol’ p.l., being the kitten loving empath, sorts out a few of the goodliest ones, the ones with the subtle wart or third-eye here and there. Time is expended to write these “authors” and make some very sincere suggestions—trying to improve the writer’s presentation: the occasional author attempt at “correcting” pops up, for which we’re truly grateful. But no response is the usual response; a short, tart scribble i.e., …that’s the way I do it… is another usual; and the most fun, a new crapper-load of the same stuff-same way that was just commented on. Why o’ why are supposed “Poets” so wrapped up in themselves! Guess they’re just too fuggin’ cool walkin’ on water.

A curious observation: those writers who’ve done a fair bit of publishing in the small press arena are the writers who are least likely to be published In Cheap Seats—hey, from those who much is given…etc., etc. These are the writers who have donned the, I be too cool chapeau and no longer push themselves to excel. Don’t think we see this…huh? Well, we does, Virginia.

Had more to yammer about, but why…

Max tdc, busy trying to pee up a rope…