Poetry Comp. we have a subject!!! Oy Lizzie Madder.

This is for your own works!!!
Charles
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Post by Charles »

On second thought, perhaps we should let the Judge come up with the topic or theme instead of those of us planning to participate. So scratch my idea.

Charles
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

I can't say for certain, at this point [since memory is a prerequisite for that] and I'm not great with the Search function here, but as I recall, input was given by participants/non-participants prior to the selection of past topics.

~ Lizzy
mickey_one
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Post by mickey_one »

Charles wrote:On second thought, perhaps we should let the Judge come up with the topic or theme instead of those of us planning to participate. So scratch my idea.

Charles
charles, your idea remains one of the 2 options. it's not a big deal the origins of the idea, and we do need to get this show running before we die of lethargy.
Charles
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Post by Charles »

Lizzytysh, You are right I think. But perhaps it would be better if the "vocal" participents weren't setting the parameters. The shyer ones might not be so crazy about either of our ideas. I think Lizzie Madder and Peter (is he the intermediary?) could come up with something exceptional.

Charles.


P.S. You will write one won't you? Please say yes.
mickey_one
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Post by mickey_one »

Charles wrote:Lizzytysh, You are right I think. But perhaps it would be better if the "vocal" participents weren't setting the parameters. The shyer ones might not be so crazy about either of our ideas. I think Lizzie Madder and Peter (is he the intermediary?) could come up with something exceptional.

Charles.


P.S. You will write one won't you? Please say yes.
please understand that some of us more vocal ones would rather be silent. but look how few have voted, look how few have come up with ideas. the energy drains from the comp. if we have so little response. we haven't heard from Lizzie Madder or Peter for a few days. I decided it was better to get the comp. going than let it fade away. I'd much rather be playing with my dogs but there we go.
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

P.S. You will write one won't you? Please say yes.
I already did, Charles :) . You missed it :wink: ? I'm now totally drained, for at least 6 months, of all creative, poetic energies :P . You have no idea how looooooong it took me to come up with that one [and neither do I :shock: ]!

I sincerely wish all of you the best of luck and good fortune with your own entries, though :D .

As topics go, I do like the idea of love, or even religion. I guess for these purposes, I'd tend toward love... if it could be narrowed some, without Valentine's Day :wink: . With religion, there are at least two here, who are likely to submit poems, who label themselves atheist.

I've returned here ~ just before bedtime ~ with no edit line :D . The more I've thought about it, Charles, the more simply "Love" would seem to be a great topic. No need to narrow it. Fitting for the Event, the booklet, and most certainly, Leonard. Once that Valentine's issue was taken care of, the more "Love" was able to stand on its own, and you can't get any more universal than "Love." I just got very distracted [as you know] with the "Valentine's" being linked with it. So, what do you think? [I'll find out tomorrow. For now ~ after opening my computer back up just for this paragraph, I'm shutting it down again, and going to bed :) .]

Well ~ back again. It's been "tomorrow" all day now, so I guess I won't find out what you think "tomorrow," after all. I've even had time to add more to my original posting, without incurring an edit line. But, still ~ no you, Charles. Where are you??

< * this has to be some kind of record for slow day on the Forum * >

~ Lizzy
LaurieAK
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Post by LaurieAK »

If it's uber-insipid one is looking for, L.o.v.e. would be a perfect topic. Otherwise, it's not good.
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

If it's uber-insipid one is looking for, L.o.v.e. would be a perfect topic. Otherwise, it's not good.
One of my uber-insipid favourites, that at the uber-insipid age of 16 [though some consider me still that :wink: ], I took to heart and memorized:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.


~ Sonnet CXVI, William Shakespeare
William has eight, other Love sonnets and, of course, wrote poetry and plays, with Love as a very large element. I think the topic of Love was "good" for him.


Of course, it's apparent that I disagree with your take on "l.o.v.e." as a topic. My feeling is that someone can write a profound poem about an uber-insipid topic, as much as anyone can write an uber-insipid poem about a profound topic. We don't need to be Shakespeare to write a good poem that's somehow related to love, or to Leonard and love.

For me, the topic of "Love" [of what? of whom? in what way? measured by what? based on love of Leonard's lyrics/music/voice/personae/presentation/women... love of partner met through Leonard's music/website/Events... love of Events themselves... love of Chatroom/Forum/websites... love of world and others or self as a result of messages in Leonard's lyrics... love of Judaism/Zen/Christianity, prompted by Leonard's lyrics... love of the new worlds discovered as a result of Leonard's music/lyrics/poetry/books/chatroom/ng/Forum/Events... those are only some of the Leonard-related "Love" ideas... there's still Love of Windows ~ in the Chatroom/via Microsoft/in one's own world as a result, or not as a result, of Leonard's use of the word and concept/by looking into oneself/at the world through those provided by Leonard... the possibilities are endless... the applications, even moreso] would be more likely to resonate for people worldwide, as to various possibilities, in a more concrete way [even though 'love' isn't necessarily ~ unless you stick to 'love is action, not a feeling'] than "Window" ~ which is more likely to be perceived as nebulous. Even so, "Window" could be incorporated into a topic of "Love" ~ and vice versa, for that matter.

Valentine Love felt to me to be too restrictive to the holiday, but Love is the bottom line of it, regardless. With removing "Valentine," however, everything is opened up for possibilities, no matter where you live.

The bottom line is that a topic is needed. Constructive ideas vs. grousing are a move in that direction.

~ Lizzy
Last edited by lizzytysh on Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
LaurieAK
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Post by LaurieAK »

How could I disagree with such well thought out and fact represented words?
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

[I think you could find a way :wink: ] ... I even added some "well thought out and fact represented" ones ~ "love of the new worlds discovered as a result of Leonard's music/lyrics/poetry/books/chatroom/ng/Forum/Events... "... hence, the edit line.

However, regardless of how you assess them, I wouldn't have bothered if I didn't mean it.
Charles
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Post by Charles »

I respectfully disagree with you Laurie. It is much harder to write a good poem about a subject such as Love. As much as I liked the topic in the first contest "Seedy Hotel" it was much harder for me to write a poem for Joe's topic "Winter." Because it was so broad and could encompass so much you really had to focus on being original. You have to go at it from a different angle like Byron did with his bird poem about winter.

How about the topic being "Love is the only Engine of Survival." But as I said anything else will be o.k. by me.

Charles

P.S. Lizzytysh, if you re-read my post I only mentioned Valentine's Day as an aside--a joke if you will--about writing a poem for the contest and then giving it to my beloved for Valentine's Day. Cheers.
LaurieAK
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Post by LaurieAK »

Hi Charles~

That was my point. It takes a REALLY good poet to sit down and write a "love" poem...otherwise you, me and everyone else here ends up falling into the cliche and contrived. It is okay to write a Love poem. It is okay to try to write a Love poem. But to have to judge 20 or so of them (from anyone other than Shakespeare) is just asking too much of whoever is judging them.

About your suggestion. I think it is a step in the right direction, but it is too 'specific,' in my opinion. We need something that has some direction, but not a limited scope, to allow for a great deal of creative freedom. Taking that line from LC and trying to expand on it seems too difficult a task.

But please, keep the suggestions coming.

It seems that for awhile when a call for suggestions came about, there were some serious and some 'joke' suggestions made, but they all were given the same weight, depending on the comments made on them. I think sticking to the serious at this point is the only way to pin something down.

How about:

Old Letters
or
Saying Goodbye
?

Please, more suggestions.

Anyone else have an opinion about Charles' latest topic?

Laurie
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

Yes, I did merge the two ['somewhat'], Charles... however, when I saw 'a Leonard Valentine' appear as the topic, it seemed I wasn't alone. When Laurie voted for it by default of not understanding what Community of the Mind could mean, the word "Valentine" remained, so... it seemed to be 'in there' with what you'd said, joking or not :) .

I hate to think that people are relegated to being tacky, uber-insipid, cliched, and contrived when writing about Love, unless they're Shakespeare reincarnate, or another 'world-class' writer, Lord Byron, or a contemporary, such as Leonard, who has done exceedingly well in writing about it. I'll be interested to read Anjani's lyrics, as well. Even without being them, I feel many can handle such a topic, very well. We're looking for something excellent, for inclusion in the Event booklet, not a Nobel Prize in Poetry winner. I cringe to think of all the beauty that would have been lost in the written word if people had felt intimidated by the thought of writing about such a basic need of ours. There are many original possibilities for it. The word itself doesn't even need to be used.

However, I feel the 'comfort levels' of the participants is more important than what I feel about it. Since you and Laurie will be submitting poems, I will comment on your newest suggestions, which is good to see. I like "Love is the Only Engine of Survival" ~ without mentioning any of them, I feel it's very applicable in many ways. It's true, and I also still like the idea of love being part of the theme.

I prefer "Old Letters" to "Saying Goodbye" ~ the latter simply because it'll be in the Event booklet. Both have lots of potential, but I don't care for the finality in the latter. "Old Letters," on the other hand, has a certain charm, particularly with the Event taking place in a city as old as Berlin. All the topics, hereto suggested, could also be included specifically or conceptually, within it :wink: .

~ Lizzy
LaurieAK
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Post by LaurieAK »

I just realized I should have said this a few days ago...

Because the person who submitted the topic:

How I came to Leonard

was using an obvious pseudonym, I assumed (always bad news) that the topic was a joke. I was told by the author (who explained his/her reason for the moniker) that it was legit.

So that should be tossed back into the possible topics. And I apologize for the misinterpretation of what happened.

I will say about it as a topic, that it seems more appropriate for an "essay" contest as opposed to a poetry contest.

I know there are many good writers out there...especially those who are considering entering a poem. Don't let that stop you from submitting a topic or commenting on the current ones. No one would hold it against you as a contestant to have taken part in this aspect of getting things started....aka choosing a topic.

Laurie
Charles
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Post by Charles »

Old Love Letters



Charles
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